Liam Lawson plays down importance of new Racing Bulls F1 position

Liam Lawson has played down the importance of assuming the team leadership at Racing Bulls in 2026 due to the huge changes coming to F1.

Lawson is to begin next season as the team leader alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad, with 35 starts to his name. 

For next term, both the chassis and power units are to undergo radical changes in the single-biggest overhaul of technical regulations from one season to the next, with active aerodynamics set to be introduced as well as increased electrical power, with batteries able to produce three times as much energy as in 2025.

Lindblad was promoted from F2 to replace Red Bull-bound Isack Hadjar, but although he is the senior driver at the team next term, Lawson is not sure it automatically gives him a head start, given the scale of changes.

"Yes, but at the same time, it is going to be a new car for me, too," Lawson explained to media, including RacingNews365, when asked if he could use his seniority to his advantage.

"It is great to have a year [of experience], and I think I learned a lot from this year, but the main thing for me is just being as ready as possible for next year.

"Taking all of the learnings from this year will be very important next year. 

"I expect the team to probably lean on me a little bit, but at the same time, I've done one season, and although you don't learn a huge amount in one season of F1, what I hope is that there will be a lot of years to learn [to come] as well."