Liam Lawson reveals shifting F1 goal: 'Now, honestly, it's not specific'

Liam Lawson says his F1 ambitions are no longer tied only to Red Bull after his brief stint with the team last year.

The New Zealander still wants to fight at the front and win in Formula 1, as all drivers do, but after being promoted to Red Bull and then sent back to Racing Bulls after just two rounds, he admits he no longer knows — or minds — where that opportunity will come from.

Lawson has responded strongly this season and is one of the stars of the campaign with his performances in the heart of F1's midfield.

Sitting ninth in the drivers' championship with 43 points after 11 rounds, he has scored on eight of those weekends and recorded a career-best finish of sixth on two occasions, at Monaco and Silverstone.

It is quite the turnaround from where he found himself 18 months ago.

Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull for 2025, handed the prize he had chased since joining the programme as a teenager: a seat alongside Max Verstappen.

It lasted two rounds before he was sent back to Racing Bulls in a swap with Yuki Tsunoda.

That experience has altered the way Lawson views his Formula 1 future. The target is still the same in a broad sense, winning at the front of the grid, but he is no longer tying that ambition to one specific route.

Speaking to PlanetF1, Lawson explained that his mindset has shifted since his early years in the Red Bull junior programme.

"I think [my mindset] used to be, obviously, very specific: coming into Red Bull and trying to get to the top team," the 24-year-old said.

"When I came into F1, and when I was young, that was really where my head was at, or what I thought about."

That focus was understandable. Red Bull had backed Lawson through the junior ranks, and the pathway appeared clear: impress at Racing Bulls, earn a chance at Red Bull, then fight at the front.

But after the brevity of his Red Bull stint, Lawson is taking a wider view of what success in F1 could look like.

"But I think now, honestly, it's not specific," he added. "Like everybody else, I'm working towards being at the front and winning in Formula 1, and where that is, I have no idea.

"And I'm not too fussed about it, but that's what I'm working towards."