Liam Lawson handed clear Racing Bulls instructions: 'I have asked him'

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has outlined clear instructions for Liam Lawson this year and has "asked him" to keep a lookout for team-mate Arvid Lindblad.

Lindblad is the sole rookie on the 2026 F1 grid and, at just 18 years old, is set to become one of the youngest drivers in the history of the sport.

As a result, Lawson will become the Red Bull sister team’s lead driver as he prepares for his second full-time campaign.

Following his return to Racing Bulls after two races at the start of 2025 alongside Max Verstappen, Lawson took time to rediscover his form.

However, in the second half of the season, the New Zealander delivered excellent performances in Azerbaijan and Las Vegas, proving to Permane the talent he possesses.

In addition to supporting Lindblad, Permane’s instruction to Lawson for the upcoming season is to understand why certain things happen, rather than being unsure of the reasons behind, for example, an early elimination in qualifying.

Discussing Lawson becoming the team leader, Permane told talkSPORT: "Yeah, he’s the senior member, with kind of one season under his belt, you know? So, again, it’s a big ask for him. I have asked him, and I will be asking him, to be there to help Arvid as needed.

"Now, that doesn’t mean to baby him or mother him, or that sort of thing, but just when things are tricky, to maybe put an arm around him to help him there. 

"But Liam’s also got himself to focus on—don’t forget—so he will be working hard to do a good job, to replicate the very good performances we saw from him last year: Baku, qualifying third; in Vegas, qualifying sixth; some really exceptional races as well.

"And what I really want him to do is eliminate the not-so-good stuff. So the times when he comes back after Q1 and he’s gone out and says, ‘I don’t know what happened there’—that’s what he needs to eradicate. And honestly, if he can keep at the good level we know he can reach, he’ll be a very good Formula 1 driver."