Liam Lawson 'battling emotion' in 'very mental F1 game'

Liam Lawson believes he will be better equipped to cope with the demands of the 'mental battle' in F1 going into his second full season in the sport.

There was one particular aspect of 2025 that Lawson conceded he struggled with, and that was the lack of time and preparation going into a grands prix, particularly when stacked so closely together.

It was something Lawson had a small taste of in his two cameo appearances in the previous two years, when he deputised for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for five races in 2023, and then when he replaced the Australian for the final six races of 2024.

That campaign concluded with two triple headers, split by two free weekends, serving as a warm-up for his first full year in F1.

At the end of a record-equalling 24-race season, one that proved to be a rollercoaster for Lawson, he was left to reflect on just how tough it can be when you are a driver in his position, scraping for results, whilst also fighting for your future.

Ultimately, the 23-year-old New Zealander was rewarded with a new contract to drive for Racing Bulls this year, one he at least feels he will be able to handle more confidently given his experiences of last year.

"The biggest thing about Formula 1, compared to other racing categories, is the time between races," said Lawson, speaking in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365 at the end of last season.

"Sometimes you think you're very well prepared. Then you get to a race weekend, and before you know it, you're in quali, and maybe you haven't had a good session.

"You're trying to learn from these things that happen in a race weekend, but very quickly, especially if you're in a triple header, you're on to the next weekend.

"You really have to just take the most important things that you can from a weekend and move on to the next one. Mentally, it's a very tough thing to have to constantly do, through the highs, through the lows.

"You have a great weekend, and the next weekend you have a terrible weekend, and it's battling that emotion that you're basically fighting with the whole year.

"And that's something that [from last year] has been more intense than ever, with how many races we have. It's something that now I'm obviously much more aware of [going into this year]."

Overall, ahead of year two, Lawson added: "We'll try and learn from the most important things, try and focus on the actual important stuff. It's a very mental game."