Liam Lawson reveals how his F1 ambitions have changed with major mindset switch

Liam Lawson’s superb first half of 2026 has made him the leading light of the midfield, and the Kiwi has opened up on how his mindset towards success has changed.

Lawson has scored points in all but three Grands Prix so far this year, with the Racing Bulls driver sitting in ninth place in the Drivers’ Championship at the summer break.

Liam Lawson explains his changing approach to F1 success

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This article was originally published August 11th 2026.

Lawson is a very relaxed figure as he sits down with PlanetF1.com for a look back at the first 11 races of the 2026 season. So relaxed in fact, he’s come to the interview armed with a guitar, having just given an impromptu performance on the top floor of Red Bull’s hospitality unit at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, there isn’t quite enough time to get a rendition of one of the latest songs he’s learned, but the Kiwi driver smiles as Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies makes his way over to our table to say hi and encourage the Racing Bulls driver not to give away too many state secrets…

It’s no surprise that things around Lawson are so relaxed. After all, he has been the star performer of the midfield on a consistent basis all season, with eight points finishes from 11 Grands Prix placing him in ninth place overall.

With eight drivers filling the seats at the top four teams, ninth is realistically the highest position any other driver can hope to achieve, and Lawson is managing it with aplomb, with a range of results between sixth and ninth place.

With Lawson confirming in Hungary that talks about his future within the Red Bull organisation will get started in and around the summer break, there’s precious little more that he can do as a driver to safeguard that future.

It’s not all that long ago that Lawson was selected to become Max Verstappen’s teammate at the senior squad, under the previous team leadership, in what ultimately was a short-lived experiment at the start of 2025. Regrouping at Racing Bulls after his two races with Red Bull, the bounce-back has been pronounced – to the point where, had the initial promotion not occurred, there’s little doubt that Lawson would be next in line to earn that potential promotion again.

But is the senior team call-up something that Lawson is still thinking about? Success, he says, can come anywhere, and doesn’t necessarily have to wait for such an opportunity again.

“I think [my mindset] used to be, obviously, very specific: coming into Red Bull and trying to get to the top team,” he said.

“When I came into F1, and when I was young, that was really where my head was at, or what I thought about.

“But I think now, honestly, it’s not specific. Like everybody else, I’m working towards being at the front and winning in Formula 1, and where that is, I have no idea.

“And I’m not too fussed about it, but that’s what I’m working towards.”

Lawson’s current points total of 43 already eclipses what he managed over the entire F1 2025 season, albeit with the caveat that the Racing Bulls machine last year was not quite as competitive relative to rivals as this year’s car has proven to be.

“It’s a very different season, so we’ve all had to sort of start a little bit from scratch,” he said, when asked about what’s changed from last to this season that has helped with the uptick in form.

“I don’t know if that helps or not, but for all the teams, we’re developing, we’re bringing new stuff every weekend.

“Still, as drivers, we’re learning how to optimise these cars. And then it’s just having more experience compared to last year.”

One major factor to consider is that 2026 is the first season in which Lawson, despite his first appearance being in 2023, has actually had a proper pre-season, with the team he’s actually still driving for.

His 2023 stint was as a substitute for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, while his mid-season full-time replacement of the Australian in late 2024 led him to be promoted to the senior team – only to be demoted again after two races. That meant having to adjust to the 2025 Racing Bulls car again over the course of race weekends, while new teammate Isack Hadjar had had the benefit of the full pre-season test programme.

But 2026 saw Lawson have a calm and steady test programme, the impact of which can’t be underestimated.

“It’s definitely something that helps,” he said.

“Having a preseason, starting with knowing where things are at with a team and knowing the direction that we’re going, what we’re developing, that makes a big difference.

“I’ve had that this year, obviously with VCARB, and I hadn’t had that in the past, so having that consistency, that familiarity with the team has been very helpful.”

But there has been another change for Lawson to adjust to since his return to Racing Bulls, and that has been the change of team principal. Having initially reunited with Mekies after the first two races of 2025, the Frenchman’s promotion to Red Bull in mid-2026 saw Alan Permane promoted into the Racing Bulls’ leadership position.

“I think he’s been really good, honestly,” Lawson said of his ‘new’ boss.

“The thing with Alan is he comes from an engineering background, so my first introduction and relationship with him was on an engineering side, so we talked about cars and performance and stuff like that.

“So yeah, that’s been something that has helped. It’s good because it means that I still have these conversations with him, really deep, about the car and about performance things that are on the car and that are on the weekend, even driving stuff as well, that we talk about.

“He has a different eye than a normal team principal probably does, because he has a different background. So that’s something that’s been enjoyable; it’s made it effective as a team principal.”

More on Racing Bulls in F1 2026

Racing Bulls half-season review: Cooking up the Red Bull junior resurgence

Liam Lawson lauds Racing Bulls ahead of F1 future talks

With Lawson’s on-track prowess now in full evidence, it would appear as though the ghosts of that ill-fated Red Bull step have been put well and truly to rest. But is that how he views things?

“Honestly, no, not really,” he said.

“I don’t really; I haven’t really thought too much about what people thought last year or anything like that.

“I’m very focused on where I’m at right now, making sure I have a good season and trying to obviously have a future in Formula 1 and work towards the same goal we’re all working towards.

“So yeah, in terms of stuff that’s happened in the past and last year, it’s not really something that I think about now.

“I think it’s probably more for you guys [media] to decide whatever you think, because for me, it’s not something I think about now.

“It’s not really a thing for me. I think right now in this season we’re doing a very, very good job. In my eyes, I didn’t really have a ghost of last year.

“I had a tough season. But I learned a huge amount through it, and honestly, I’ve come out of that as a much stronger driver and person.

“I’m trying to use all that each week, and I get in the car now to have a good season, and that’s what I’m doing. However people view it is up to them.

“At the end of the day, obviously people can look at it however they want, but, at the moment, things are going very, very well, and that’s what we’re focused on continuing – trying to keep that consistency going.

“It’s probably the hardest thing in Formula 1; to keep that consistency, especially, I think, in the midfield; you’re sort of always in all the action. So for us, it’s been working very well. But yeah, I would say this year is a good representation of where things are at.”

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