Liam Lawson: Kiwi F1 Driver on his season so far and his future in Formula 1

Liam Lawson says his future in Formula One remains unclear and he expects performance over the final five race weekends to decide his fate. 

In an exclusive interview with the Mike Hosking Breakfast, the Racing Bulls driver talked about the pressures of Formula One, his demotion from the Red Bull team and what needs to be done to secure a seat for the 2026 season. 

The Kiwi is in a battle for a seat alongside Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda, teammate Isack Hadjar and Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad. 

Only four-time world champion Max Verstappen is confirmed at Red Bull next year, signed through to 2028. He is expected to be partnered by Hadjar, who is the next best driver on the organisation’s books so far in his rookie season. 

And with Red Bull understood to be eager to promote 18-year-old Lindblad after one season of Formula Two, Lawson and Tsunoda have effectively been left in a shootout for that final place to partner the junior at Racing Bulls. 

Lawson heads into this weekend’s racing in Brazil, which includes a sprint race, on 30 points and 15th place on the driver standings, two points and places ahead of Tsunoda. 

He told Mike Hosking that his future in the sport remains unknown and he just has to keep performing on the track. 

“At this point right now, the decision is not clear and hasn’t been made and has us in a position where basically I’m still working towards trying to secure that seat,” he said. 

“I think the pathway or the guide is to perform. And if you perform, you stay in the sport. That’s just how it’s been since I was 16 years old. That’s how it’s been since I joined the programme. That’s just how it is. And that’s basically my guide,” Lawson said. 

“It’s at the point of the year where obviously the decisions are being made around the four seats that are in our camp for next year. It’s something that obviously I’m very aware of. But at the same time, it doesn’t change really anything I’m doing. It doesn’t change the approach to each race weekend. All that stays the same,” he added. 

“I think all of the hard stuff makes you better anyway,” he reflected on the season. 

“And if I come out of this year, which is what I’m trying to do, I’ll be in a much better place because of sort of the hard stuff that’s been on this year.” 

Lawson is readying for this week’s Brazilian Grand Prix after a disappointing outing in Mexico, where his race lasted only a few laps and he was lucky to avoid two marshals who ran across the track. 

Last year he finished ninth in both the sprint and Grand Prix races in Sao Paulo, with an impressive fifth placing in qualifying for the main race. This year’s season culminates with race weekends in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, after which Red Bull will make their decision on the 2026 drivers. 

Lawson started the season in the Red Bull car with defending world champion Verstappen as his teammate but was demoted to the Racing Bulls team just two races into the season. His replacement Tsunoda has also struggled in the car and sits behind the Kiwi on the points standings. 

Lawson said he reflects more about his lack of time in the Red Bull car than how the Japanese driver has performed since replacing him. 

“It’s not something I think about directly with him. I think that, at the end of the day, I had two races on two tracks I’d never been to. We didn’t do pre-season, we didn’t do a load of testing last year and pre-season testing to get it ready for this season. So, I would never be able to compare because I just didn’t do the races. I did two and then I was out. He’s had the whole season in the car. 

“I could never compare because, obviously, as a racing driver, we always back ourselves, right? And I’m always going to sit here and go, ‘hey, after the amount of time, I feel like I would have got my head around it and been somewhere’. But I think, to compare … we didn’t get given the same amount of races." 

Hosking also asked Lawson how he would score himself this season, to which he responded: “Not high enough, not as high as I wanted to.” 

“I think it’s very rare to look back on stuff and think I did everything exactly as I wanted to do. For me, as long as I look back on this year and learn from things that I feel like I could have done better. I think we’ve done a really good job through a good part of this year. The second half of the year has been a lot stronger. I think we were trying to play catch-up for the first part, because of the way the start of the year unfolded. 

“And I think that we definitely got there, but in a sport where there’s just so many variables and you don’t put one piece of the puzzle together on a race weekend and, especially in a season that’s so close, you just get knocked out and you’re fighting where you

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time to catch up with US countries most followed and
talked about. Race car exponent Liam Lawson pretty much completed
his first full season now remembering he was promoted to
cover Daniel Ricardo with a handful of races to go previously,
then the promotion to Red Bull two races in back
to Racing Bulls. He sits ahead of this weekend's racing
into Lagos on thirty points, ahead ironically of uk Sonoda
his team chasing the midfield title on seventy two. Anyway,

(00:22):
Liam Lawson is with us. Good morning, good morning, Thank
you very much for having me. No, it's a great pleasure.
How is life just because it's been a while since
we talked, are you still, despite everything and with everything
pinching yourself on a weekly basis, that you're living your dream?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's something for sure that I have to I think
in everything, no matter sort of what industry you're in
with out obviously for me, I'm lucky enough to be
doing this, But I think it doesn't really matter what
industry that you're in. I think when you're obviously achieving
what you set out to do or trying to, at
least obviously in my eyes, I'm not quite there yet,
but I think it's important, sir, for sure sort of

(01:03):
sit back and realize what's going on, because it's it
is cool. It's just always obviously striving for for more.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
What you thought you would get versus what you have. God,
what's the difference.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
I think. I think the pressure of the sort of
intensity of it is everything I expected. I think I
already thought that sort of time went quickly, and now
it's just going even quicker, like the fact that we
are one month away from the end of the season
as wild It's been an extremely intensity.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
I think.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
At the same time, just because of how everything played
out this year, it's been that side of it is
not what I expected. Obviously, it's something that you know,
I went into this year with a plan and obviously
it's gone in a different direction, and I'm grateful to
still be driving, but obviously I'm working through that. So
I think that it's different in ways because of just
how everything played out this year. But I think at

(01:56):
the same time, you know, still being Formula one and
trying to fight for a seat next year, is it's
obviously what I set out to do.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Are you used to that pressure yet?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
I think so, I think it's something that's I don't
think you ever fully get used to it. I don't
think it's something that you I think if you're comfortable,
completely comfortable with it, then it's not important enough to you.
So I think that I've dealt with this pressure since
I was very young, because joining the junior program is
something that they put us through it at sixteen years old,
so it sort of prepares you for the sort of

(02:28):
step up when you get to F one. But I
think to be used to it, I would say, wouldn't
mean that it's not it's not doesn't mean enough, or
it's not important enough. So it's it's definitely still there
and it's still a battle obviously every weekend.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
How would you score yourself this season?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Not high enough, not as high as I wanted to.
But I think it's very rare that, you know, I think,
at least for me. You know, I can't speak for everybody,
but I think it's very rare to look back on
stuff and and think I did everything, you know, exactly
as I wanted to do. I think for me, as
long as I look back on this year and learn
from things that I feel like I could have done

(03:09):
better or could have been better. I think we've done
a really good job through a good part of this year.
The second half of the year's been a lot stronger.
I think we were trying to play catch up for
the first part because of the way the start of
the year unfolded, and I think that's we definitely got there.
But you know, in a sport where there's just so
many variables and you just don't put one piece of
the puzzle together on a race weekend, and you, especially

(03:31):
in a season that's so close, you just get knocked
out and you're fighting where you don't want to be fighting.
And I think that's trying to do that every single
weekend and have everything go right is very tough. But
those are the things that I look back on and
learn from from the stuff that didn't.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
How much better are you as a driver from the
start of IF one to right now?

Speaker 2 (03:53):
I think I think I think it's hard to say
a lot, because I think but by the time you
get to IF one, you've gone through such a development
process to be ready for IF one, But I would
say a good step. I think I probably learned the
most this year or developed the most this year out
of any other year. I think you obviously on your
pathway to Formula one and the step to IF one

(04:14):
is very very big, and we try and prepare for it,
but there's nothing like being in it and being in
it for a year and going through everything that sort
of we've gone through this year. I think all of
the hard stuff as well always sort of makes you
better anyway. And I think if there's anything if I
come out of this this year, which is what I'm
trying to do, I think then I'll be in a
much better place because of sort of the hard stuff

(04:36):
that's been that's been on this year.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
See when you say if I come out of this,
I don't want to ask you because I watch you
every week and they ask you the same questions, and
you must be sick and tired of listening to those
questions and having to come up with some sort of answer.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
You could ask me, because I think it's obviously the
question that's it's the same. This is the way our
sport is still when you come into our sport, it's
it's you know, everybody's put under the pressure. You get
you get your first year, and it's try and perform
and deliver and then you get resigned, and I think
it's at the point of the year where obviously it's
it's the decisions sort of being made around this, around

(05:15):
the four seats at R and L camp for next year.
So it's something that obviously I'm very aware of. But
at the same time, it doesn't change really anything I'm doing,
and I doesn't change their approach to each race weekend.
All that stays the same. So yeah, it's something that's
obviously these these races are very important to determine.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Is it something you talk about in between race meetings
or even at race meetings over the weekend in the
sense that everybody knows that someone somewhere, whether it be
Marker or Mechis, is making a decision and that might
be communicated or it might not. I mean, is there
black humor in the garage or do you just not
talk about it in focus something?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Honestly, Yeah, it's something that I would say I only
talk about with the with basically that sort of the
people who are making that decision, with with either Helmets
or with the Rents or with Allen. You know, it's
those sort of the discussions that I'll be having and
outside of that I think it's just something that we're
all very There's so much we have sort of to

(06:15):
do on a race weekend, and the build ups of
a race weekend, you know, we get less and there's
time now there's more and more races at the moment,
and it's basically we're just flat out trying to It's
crazy how you you leave race weekend and just straight
away switch on to the next one. I think that's
been something that has been something of learning process this year,
trying to take the things that I can learn from

(06:38):
and the positives and also the negatives, but the things
that I can learn from and just straight away move
straight on to the next one. And you don't really
have time to dwell or think about what's what's happening
fair enough?

Speaker 1 (06:50):
So I mean, let me ask you, is it true
that you simply don't know what your future is next year?
And the reason I ask it that specifically is it
does seem unfair to me that if they want the
is from you, they need to give you some sort
of guide or pathway. Otherwise you're just sitting there going
you know what the hell am I doing? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (07:06):
I think the pathway with the guide is to perform,
and if you perform, you you stay on the sport.
And I think that's just how it's been since I
was sixteen years old, so it's been since I joined
the since I joined the program. That's just how it is,
and that's basically my guide, and you know that's really
Obviously I'm going to have updates and have conversations along

(07:29):
the way, but I think at this point right now,
the decision is not clear and hasn't been made and
has a center position where basically I'm still working towards
trying to secure that seat.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
And is it made clear to you at the end
of the weekend. So the last couple for Singapore, you
ran into a couple of walls. Sometimes you can't get
the tires heated up. None of that's your fault necessarily,
is it communicated going that's on us not you don't panic.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Honestly, it's something that's I would say. I try to
take responsibility for everything I can, I would say, and
it's something that's for sure. If if there's if there's
a situation where you know, either a mechanical failure or
something like that, or then then or something you know,
something that we had planned that that just didn't go

(08:16):
like it was meant to with a run panel or
something like that. For sure, the team would take sort
of responsibility one that, but I think it's something that
we also collectively agree on stuff together, and it wouldn't
be fair as well for me to just basically put
stuff on them, because for sure I make mistakes as well,
and they have done, you know, a load of across

(08:36):
this year, so you know, when we're coming up to
making plans, we're in a sport where there's just so
many variables and nothing's ever going to go completely right.
So I think it's just accepting that.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
That's what I've learned out of this year is I
look at Lewis Hamilton, I look at carloss Science, two
of the greatest drivers of the generation. Put them in
a different team, in a different carr and look how
they've struggled. I mean that that's what you It's actually
what you faced as a rookie, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
I think it's it's it's yeah, obviously there'll there'll always
be conversations and I'll you know, I haven't really had
a chance, but maybe if I, if I get proper time,
I'll look back on reflect reflect completely on how everything
unfolded this year. But I think, you know a big
part of it is, you know, your preseason prep and
stuff like that. You go into a season. I went
into this year with a plan and sort of we

(09:23):
had a build up of procedure and sort of direction
we were heading. And when that gets you know, flipped
upside down. As much as I've driven this car last year,
I had to basically sort of catch up with everything,
the direction of the car, that the sort of development
that was going on, trying to get adjusted to it
again and do that, you know, straight into a triple

(09:44):
header at you know, sort of after the start of
the season. I think that was in a season that
this year, you know, one tenth can can be the
difference between being into, you know, in Q three or
being knocked out in Q one. Sometimes it's so close.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
And it is it is an unfaired to ask you.
I mean, I look at Sonoda, I look at you.
He's he's no better on that car than you were.
The cars of the problem we all know that is
there do any sense of resentment or on fairness or
it is what it.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Is, It's it's not something I think about directly with him.
I think at the end of the day, I had
two races on two tracks i'd never been to. You know,
we didn't we didn't do pre set you know, we
didn't do a load of you know testing last year
and pre season testing to get ready for this this season.
So I'll never be able to compare because I just
didn't do the races I did too, and then I

(10:31):
was and then I was out. You know, He's had
a whole season in the car, so it's something that's
it's not I can't. I could never compare with that
because you know, obviously, as a racing driver, I'm always
gonna we always back ourselves right, and I'm always gonna
sit here and go hey, after this amount of time,
I feel like I would have got my head around
it and then and been somewhere. But I think to compare,

(10:55):
he didn't get given the same amount of races.

Speaker 1 (10:58):
If it pours them into Lagos', is that good or not?

Speaker 2 (11:03):
I wouldn't mind it too. I think in a season
that's so close, you know, something like that, a variable
like that. You know, we had extreme wins in VACU
that basically helped us a lot in qualifying and something
like that, you know, a weather sort of change and
qualifying or in the weekend would be good. It was
good for us last year, so I think so all.

Speaker 1 (11:24):
Right, it's always a pleasure to catch up with you, mate.
I hope you I say the super time, but I
hope you understand just how many New Zealanders love what
you're doing and enjoy it each time your race and
it's a thrill to watch.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
It's very cool for me, Tore and thanks very much, Mike.
I speak you soon.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
All right, there we go. The good news is we're
not done with Liam Lawson this morning yet. For more
from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to News Talks.
It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.