Why Lawson's Red Bull Demotion May Have Saved His F1 Career
Formula 1

Why Lawson's Red Bull Demotion May Have Saved His F1 Career

19 June 2026 2 min readBy F1 Drive Desk (AI-assisted)

Dropped by Red Bull after two races, Liam Lawson has rebuilt at Racing Bulls. Sky's Naomi Schiff calls the demotion the best thing for him; Lawson stays guarded.

Key Takeaways

  • 1.Following last November's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, advisor Helmut Marko labelled Lawson "inconsistent" and hailed junior team-mate Isack Hadjar as the "revelation of the season," with Lawson — as RacingNews365 put it — "fighting for his F1 future." The driver himself is keeping his feet on the ground.
  • 2.Hopefully that translates to the rest of the season," he told outlets including RacingNews365 after finishing eighth in Barcelona.
  • 3.RB really does, to me, feel like they are the best of the rest at the moment." The form guide agrees.

Rewind 18 months and Liam Lawson's grand prix career was teetering. Handed a seat next to Max Verstappen for 2025, he lasted two races before being shipped back to the junior team. The way that decision is judged has changed sharply since.

"We saw Liam Lawson barely getting his opportunity at the big team, and then he was sent back to RB, and actually, it was probably for the better of his career that he went back there," Sky Sports analyst Naomi Schiff said on the Up To Speed podcast in the wake of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. "They are regularly in the points. RB really does, to me, feel like they are the best of the rest at the moment."

The form guide agrees. Lawson has banked points in five of the opening seven rounds and lies 10th in the drivers' standings on 28 points, with Racing Bulls sixth in the constructors'. Schiff reckons he looks settled. "We see them both thriving at the moment in that team," she said. "They're happy drivers. They seem to be able to do their thing in the car, and they've delivered really well this year so far."

The contrast with Red Bull's earlier verdict is stark. Following last November's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, advisor Helmut Marko labelled Lawson "inconsistent" and hailed junior team-mate Isack Hadjar as the "revelation of the season," with Lawson — as RacingNews365 put it — "fighting for his F1 future."

The driver himself is keeping his feet on the ground. Racing Bulls have been sharp on Saturdays but blunter on Sundays, and turning one into the other is his priority. "If we keep this trend, obviously we had a quick car in qualifying. Hopefully that translates to the rest of the season," he told outlets including RacingNews365 after finishing eighth in Barcelona. "I think Barcelona is normally quite a good sign for that, so we just need to sort out the race car."

Race pace matters now more than ever, because Racing Bulls have a rival to beat. They sit 16 points behind Alpine in the scrap for fifth — the unofficial best-of-the-rest title behind the big four — with rookie Arvid Lindblad adding points next to Lawson.

This isn't a finished comeback. Lawson still has to convert grid positions into results, and the Alpine duel will go the distance. Yet for someone discarded after two races, being talked about as the best of the rest — on merit and by the pundits — counts as vindication of a sort.