Formula 1: Max Verstappen’s prediction for Liam Lawson’s 2026 championship prospects

By Alex Powell in Melbourne

Liam Lawson’s 2026 Formula One hopes depend on how competitive his new Racing Bulls car is, his last two teammates predict.

Asked about Lawson’s prospects for the new season, starting in Melbourne this weekend, four-time world champion Max Verstappen said the nature of results might just be out of the Kiwi’s control, for now.

“It depends a lot on the car,” he told the Herald. “The nice thing for him is that he had a normal pre-season with the team.

“[He’ll] try to put the performances in that I think he can do anyway. But again, it depends on if the car is able to show that as well.”

Since Lawson’s demotion, Verstappen has been a vocal supporter of the NZ driver. Before the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen didn’t hold back in how he disagreed with the decision to move Lawson to Racing Bulls, and then doubled down on that sentiment to end the year.

While the Kiwi last season bounced back superbly from a brutal two-race demotion to finish 14th in the drivers’ championship, and better his career best on three occasions, this year’s prospects are drastically different.

Sweeping new regulations have thrown any predictability in this year’s championship out the window for the 11 teams – up one with the arrival of American giants Cadillac.

As a midfield team, Lawson’s Racing Bulls are not expected to regularly fight at the front of the field, even if the team produced more than one impressive display in pre-season.

On the other side of the Red Bull garage, Lawson’s most recent teammate Isack Hadjar sees things differently.

Looking down the paddock to the side he left at the end of 2025, Hadjar is less hopeful over Racing Bulls and Lawson’s prospects.

“The gaps around the field have spread a bit more,” said Hadjar. “Last year, the [Racing Bulls] was within a second of the fastest car, this year it’s not.

“It’s definitely not going to be as nice for him, that’s for sure. But I’m sure he’s going to make the most of the car, like he does.”

As a pair, Lawson and Hadjar combined to have Racing Bulls finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship, the best result in the team’s history.

However, with Hadjar finishing 12th and 13 points clear of Lawson, he was promoted to partner Verstappen this year.

The 21-year-old is the latest in a long line of teammates for Verstappen – all of whom have failed to match the four-time world champion’s results, and lost their seat as a result.

Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix begins at 6pm on Saturday, before the race itself at 5pm on Sunday.

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.