Racing Bulls puts pressure on Lawson to retain his F1 seat after 2026

18:00, 05 Feb

byNicole Mulder

Alan Permane has urged Liam Lawson to make himself indispensable to Racing Bulls ahead of the 2026 season. While the team principal has been encouraged by flashes of brilliance from the New Zealander, he stressed in his conversation with GPblog that Lawson must eliminate the inconsistency in his performances.

"I want him to deliver so that we think, wow, we've got to hang on to this guy. He's really good."

- Alan Permane

Permane makes clear what he expects from Lawson heading into the new Formula 1 season, outlining both his ambitions for the driver and Racing Bulls’ wider focus. The team boss believes Lawson has all the raw talent required, but insists consistency will be the key. “What I would like from him is I would like to get him to the stage where we want to keep him here," he explains.

"I want him to deliver so that we think, wow, we've got to hang on to this guy. He's really good,” he continues. The Brit points to several moments when Lawson has already shown potential. “I see some real genius in his driving sometimes. He qualified third in Baku in very difficult situations. In Vegas qualifying, he qualified sixth."

According to Permane, Lawson also demonstrated his quality across multiple race weekends. “He had brilliant races in Spa, in Hungary, in Austria. So he's had some; there's some real talent there," he emphasises.

Racing Bulls at the launch in Detroit - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Inconsistency the biggest focus point for Lawson

At the same time, Permane has identified a clear area for improvement for the Racing Bulls driver – consistency. “Sometimes inexplicably, he will go out and Q1, and he doesn't understand it," he explains. “The good stuff is good, it's there. And just to eliminate the poor, unexplained results that sometimes come."

The team boss believes this is the key to Lawson’s continued growth. “I think then I think once you can do that, the rest will start snowballing and improve."

Permane concluded by adding that Racing Bulls is actively working with Lawson to address this. "Exactly, that's exactly what I'll be doing."