Liam Lawson handed 'best days' defence after Red Bull axe

Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer has insisted that Liam Lawson has returned to how he was during his "best days", following his Red Bull axe earlier this year.  Following 11 appearances for the sister team across 2023 and 2024, Lawson was chosen as Sergio Perez's replacement for the current campaign.  However, following two difficult races in Australia and China, Red Bull took the staggering decision to demote the New Zealander back to Racing Bulls and promote Yuki Tsunoda.  In a RacingNews365 exclusive, Lawson explained what went against him in his two grands prix for the Milton Keynes-based outfit , with Bayer having also outlined that the driver was "unlucky".  Once Lawson returned to Racing Bulls from the Japanese GP, he insisted that his confidence had not been knocked; however, his performances continued to paint a different picture.  That was until the past seven races, where Lawson has shown considerable improvement and has been more competitive alongside team-mate Isack Hadjar.  He has quickly scored 20 points for the sister squad, with Bayer confirming that the 23-year-old has returned to his best. "Confidence is something that is very personal," Bayer told PlanetF1 . "When I spoke to Liam, he always said his confidence was never [down]. "He’s done this all his life. Quoting what he said to the media is, ‘I’ve done this all my life. It’s a tough business.’ "I hate to talk about luck and not being lucky, but he was unlucky on a couple of occasions. When he was on a good lap, somebody would be in front of him, somebody would call for a yellow, somebody would call for a red. "Now, he is fun, happy, like in his best days. So, if ever he was not, today, he certainly is."