Lam Lawson’s Red Bull demotion is paying off in unexpected ways

Liam Lawson’s demotion to Racing Bulls was probably the best thing that Red Bull could have done for his career, as he’s back in the conversation for a top Formula 1 seat.

This season Lawson has been reinventing himself, as even though he still knows how to irk his rivals and is aggressive, he’s also proving to be a reliable points-scorer.

Liam Lawson thriving after Red Bull demotion

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The 24-year-old has scored points in five of seven grands prix with his tally up to 28 points, putting him 10th in the drivers’ championship.

More importantly for Lawson, he’s comfortably ahead of his rookie teammate and the driver former Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko referred to as Red Bull’s “next champion”, Arvid Lindblad.

Although Lindblad made the first mark on Racing Bull’s scoresheet with a P8 on his debut, Lawson has consistently been ahead of his teammate in the races since.

Lawson’s improved form after a torrid 2025 season in which he was promoted to Red Bull after a six-race audition only to be dropped after two races has been noted by pundits.

W Series winner turned commentator Naomi Schiff reckons his demotion from Red Bull to its sister team was a blessing for Lawson.

“We saw Liam Lawson barely getting his opportunity at the big team, and then he was sent back to RB, and actually, it was probably for the better of his career that he went back there,” Schiff told the Up To Speed podcast.

“They are regularly in the points, as they were last year, and they seem to really be the team that’s comfortably in the top 10.

“We obviously see Audi nibbling at it a little bit, and the Alpines. But RB feel to me like they really are the best of the rest at the moment.

“You constantly have Arvid Lindblad up there as well, and I just think we see them both thriving at the moment in that team.

“You know, they’re happy drivers. They seem to be able to do their thing in the car, and I think they’ve delivered really well this year so far.”

The teammates have elevated Racing Bulls to sixth in the constructors’ championship where the team is just 16 points behind Alpine, who brought in a good haul with Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard says Lawson and Lindblad are proving to be a winning combination for Racing Bulls.

Liam Lawson v Arvid Lindblad: Racing Bulls’ F1 2026 scores

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

“I think that we’re in a position where we have to comment on the results, and there were moments where Liam, it felt that as the more experienced guy you would expect him to be, let’s say, leading the way,” said the Scot.

“But it seems to have settled down.

“We can accept that Arvid is a brilliant young talent. Therefore, Liam is doing a brilliant job as well.

“They’re both like this, aren’t they? They’re both pushing each other on track.”

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