Liam Lawson delivers major pause over 'fun to drive' F1 2026 question

Liam Lawson opted to keep his thoughts to himself when recently questioned on how he felt about this year's F1 cars.

The sport finds itself in a significant state of flux following the introduction of machinery now powered by a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical energy, and run on 100% sustainable fuels.

The verdicts from the drivers were fairly unequivocal across the two three-day tests at the Bahrain International Circuit over the past two weeks, with some, like Red Bull's four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, far more critical than others.

As far as Racing Bulls driver Lawson was concerned, he felt it prudent not to join the chorus of condemnation, although his silence spoke volumes.

When asked directly whether the cars were fun to drive, Lawson smiled and said nothing more than 'erm' during a seven-second pause. When the questioner simply said, 'Okay', which promoted laughter from the assembled media, there followed another seven-second hiatus before the team PR intervened, calling for 'Next question'.

A follow-up question provided greater insight into Lawson's feelings on the matter, as he was asked whether a racing driver always wants to have maximum downforce and cornering speed, or whether it was the energy management that was holding him back.

Lawson then said, "It's a combination. Obviously, when you're in qualifying, you want to drive a car as fast as you can. You don't have to think about managing energy.

"But at the same time, when you have less grip, you're sliding around more, and you feel like you're leaving lap time on the table.

"Coming from a faster car, naturally, it's going to feel frustrating, or not as enjoyable, but at the same time, it's very early in the development stages, so I'm sure as we go down the line, we'll get faster."