Liam Lawson 'bore brunt' of Helmut Marko treatment before brutal axing

Liam Lawson has shown his mental "resilience" after 'bearing the brunt' of Helmut Marko's brutal treatment, Jolyon Palmer believes. 

Lawson was promoted to the senior Red Bull team in 2025 with just 11 grand prix starts to his name, but was dropped after just two races in favour of Yuki Tsunoda.

Upon his return to Racing Bulls, Lawson eventually settled in to score a total of 38 points, just 13 behind Isack Hadjar, who was promoted to Red Bull for 2026. 

Throughout his time in F1, Lawson has garnered a reputation as a hard-racer, with Palmer believing that the New Zealander was actually harmed by Marko's no-nonsense approach, something lifted by the Austrian stepping back from his duties ahead of the 2026 season.

"I think he was a big presence that could be really hard on young drivers coming through, to the benefit of those who could thrive and become world champion," Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast.

"Liam obviously saw the brunt of that last year, but it did remind me as well about the resilience he's got, and you have to say that he is a tough guy. 

"We've seen it in his wheel-to-wheel battles; he is not afraid to flip the bird to whoever does him wrong in a grand prix, and it also took him a while to get up to speed in the Racing Bulls last year.

"It wasn't instantaneous, but he got there, had some good drives, and it was the same thing in Melbourne.

"It could have been really easy for him to say: 'Oh, Lindblad is here and getting all the credit from Australia, but he drove really well in China, getting points in the Sprint and grand prix, and that will settle him down for the year."