‘I needed time’: F1 driver Liam Lawson on Red Bull dumping
Monday, 21 July 2025
Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has refuted claims his confidence was dented following his demotion from Red Bull, and says he wasn't given enough time to adjust to the new team.
Poor results in the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix races - the first two of the season - meant Lawson was on thin ice at Red Bull, but it was still a shock when he was ruthlessly demoted to Racing Bulls to allow Yuki Tsunoda to take his seat.
Speaking to F1.com, Lawson said suggestions his confidence levels had plunged after former Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the team had erred in promoting the New Zealander so quickly were wide of the mark.
Lawson wanted to 'be clear'' that after switching teams he still believed in himself: 'Mentally for me, nothing changed.
“It’s been very heavily speculated that my confidence took a hit and stuff like this, which is completely false,'' Lawson told F1.com.
'From the start of the year, I felt the same as I always have.
“I think in two races, on tracks I’d never been to, it’s not really enough for my confidence… maybe six months into a season, if I’m still at that level, if the results are still like that, then I’d be feeling something – maybe my confidence would be taking a hit.
“I was well aware that those results weren’t good enough, but I was just focused on improving, fixing and learning, basically. I was in the same mindset as I have been since I came into F1.''
Lawson said he would have liked to have more time at Red Bull after replacing Mexican Sergio Perez.
Lawson qualified 18th on his Red Bull debut in Melbourne, and crashed in the race which was affected by rain and cool temperatures.
Lawson was at the very back of the grid in Shanghai International Circuit, and finished 15th before being upgraded to 12th through three disqualifications.
While the 23-year-old acknowledges the results weren't up to scratch, he didn't have an easy transition into Red Bull.
It's been well documented that his supporters believe he should have been given more time during the test period, and competing on unfamiliar tracks did little to help showcase his driving skills.
“I think that was the biggest thing going into a team like that, in a car like that… it was going to take a bit of time to adjust and learn,'' Lawson explained to F1.com.
'With no proper testing, the issues in testing, the issues in Melbourne through practice… it wasn’t smooth and clean. I needed time, and I wasn’t given it.”
He added that he hadn't spoken about his demotion much, preferring to ignore it so he can focus on driving for Racing Bulls.
'But I know there was a lot of stuff that went out that was speculation about how I was feeling. My confidence hasn’t changed since the start of the year to now.”
Lawson claimed a career-best finish of sixth in Austria. He's two points ahead of Tsunoda in the Drivers’ Championship with 12 races left in the season.
The F1 season resumes in Belgium next weekend.
There's been talk Lawson will be retained by Red Bull for the 2026 season.
But, for now, he said he's focusing on his next assignment with Racing Bulls.
“Here, you’re forced to basically come out of a race weekend, especially on a triple-header, have a day to think about what just happened, and then you’re straight away thinking about the next race,” Lawson told F1.com.
“I don’t know if it’s healthy or not healthy, but you just think about F1, the performance and the result. I sit here now and we’re nearly mid-July. The year has just gone. The fact we’ve done 12 races is insane, and they’ve just gone by like that.”