Liam Lawson makes 'freedom' claim after Red Bull axe

Liam Lawson has claimed that he never stopped driving with 'confidence' or 'freedom' this season, despite having been axed by Red Bull after two races. 

The New Zealander was chosen as Sergio Perez's replacement, but encountered immediate difficulties alongside Max Verstappen. 

He was demoted to Racing Bulls ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda having gone in the opposite direction. Since then, Lawson has failed to dazzle in the sister team. 

Adjusting to life back with the Faenza-based outfit has not taken place quickly for the young driver, who retired in Miami after contact with Jack Doohan. Despite this, Lawson is feeling good in himself and with the team's package.

"Yeah, pretty happy," Lawson told select media, including RacingNews365. "I think every weekend you get more comfortable and also coming to tracks that we’ve been to before helps.

"Miami was a tricky one. But to be honest, I felt pretty comfortable in the car. I think we had good speed in the car, but there are a lot of variables in Formula 1. 

"Just getting a whole weekend together has been quite tough recently. We’ll try to do the best we can this week at a home race for the team."

Lawson remains without a point this season, and has struggled to match team-mate Isack Hadjar who has consistently threatened a place in Q3 and the points.

Nevertheless, when asked if his old confidence and freedom when driving have returned, Lawson answered: "I think so. Honestly, I would say I never stopped doing that. 

"It’s been a tricky year so far and there have been some really tough weekends, but personally I’ve always felt comfortable driving the car. 

"I feel as much as I’m still learning for sure, that hasn’t really changed. For this weekend, I’ve been fortunate to test here in the past. It is a very intense track, quite hard, very old-school — which for us drivers, we’re quite excited by."