Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane has revealed the major "breakthrough" made by Liam Lawson after his return to Racing Bulls.
Lawson was axed by Red Bull after just two races, returning to Racing Bulls, partnering Isack Hadjar from the Japanese GP, but has largely been out-performed by his rookie team-mate.
The New Zealander banked his first points of the year with eighth in Monaco, by which time Hadjar had already taken four points finishes, including sixth in Monaco, following that up with a strong seventh in Spain.
However, Lawson made a step forward in Austria, starting and qualifying in sixth, before racing well to another eighth place in Belgium, moving him to just six points behind Hadjar in the standings.
He has been firm that the demotion from Red Bull had no impact on his mental well-being, but Permane has detailed how Lawson "lost the spring in his step", finding it again with a brand-new upgrade delivered in Austria, creating a "breakthrough."
"He's done a great job, honestly. The two races at Red Bull, obviously, were very tough for him," Permane explained to media, including RacingNews365.
"He won't thank me for saying this, but he definitely was a bit downbeat. He didn't have a spring in his step, and we've done what we can to help him there.
"To jump in our car straight away without having tested it was, of course, not easy. He's up against Isack, who has been outstanding this year.
"The first race for him was Japan, and Isack was absolutely flying there, so it was a tough introduction for him, but we've made some changes. Liam and his engineering team have worked really, really hard.
"We had a bit of a breakthrough in Austria. We had a new front suspension for him, which they developed through the simulator, and he really liked it, was really enthusiastic about it, and it worked there.
"We saw last week in Spa again that he is performing. Monaco was a decent race for him, but after Austria, he had a spring back in his step."
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