Liam Lawson has highlighted the importance of having a full pre-season with Racing Bulls as a "big difference" maker.
The 2026 pre-season was the first time in his career that Lawson had spent the period with Racing Bulls, doing so ahead of the major rules overhaul.
The New Zealander had spent the 2025 pre-season with Red Bull, but was demoted after two grands prix back to Racing Bulls - meaning he missed out on this crucial time understanding last year's machine.
Thus far in 2026, Lawson has scored points in seven of the nine grands prix, and also two of the four Sprints, with Racing Bulls emerging as the fifth-fastest team over the last few grands prix.
Explaining the importance of having a full pre-season, Lawson detailed how "being exactly aware" of the development direction was key.
"I mean, everything helps," Lawson began when asked by RacingNews365 for the impact of a full pre-season on his performance.
"I mean, naturally, the more experience you have in anything, the more it helps.
"But I think this year, coming in, especially with these new cars, it makes a big difference doing all the pre-season development.
"Being exactly aware of where we're focused on the car, what we are developing, I think it all makes a big difference."
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