Lawson, Racing Bulls turn the dial toward 2026 after nailing P6 in the midfield
Racing Bulls squeezed everything out of 2025. Sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, in a pack where one bad pit stop could cost you three places and a pile of prize money, is no small thing for Faenza. And it explains why Liam Lawson says the real push on the 2026 car has deliberately been kept on a low simmer until now.
The New Zealander’s future is settled — he’s staying put for 2026 — and he’ll be paired with next year’s only rookie, Arvid Lindblad. That stability matters, because Formula 1 is about to tear up the spec sheet again. New chassis and power unit rules will reset the pecking order, and some rivals flipped their development programs toward 2026 months ago. Red Bull’s two-team operation didn’t fully do that. The champions kept their foot in it with the RB21, establishing Laurent Mekies’ processes at Faenza and chasing every point on both sides of the garage.
Lawson admits that choice shaped his own calendar. In Abu Dhabi, he was candid: the driver-facing 2026 work has been light so far — a few simulator days, hours poured over early data — while the team’s engineers quietly laid the foundations in the background. The heavy lifting starts now.
“We couldn’t get lost in the future while we were in a knife fight for sixth,” is the gist. “There’s been work going on, but it really kicks off early next year.”
If the first half of 2025 was a twisty road for Lawson, the second half was all traction. A short-lived cameo alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull to start the year, then a swift return to Racing Bulls, and finally the uptick in form that earned him the 2026 nod. It’s a very Red Bull storyline: pressure on, decisions late, perform or be replaced. This time, Lawson delivered.
The payoff is subtle but huge. He heads into the winter with a guaranteed seat, a full pre-season ahead, and a chance to shape the car he’ll actually race under the new regulations. That’s not always been a luxury for Faenza alumni. And Lawson knows it.
There’s also the rookie factor. Lindblad’s arrival injects fresh energy, and it gives Lawson the senior voice in the room for the first time. Expect him to lean into that role as Racing Bulls try to thread the needle that defines a rules reset: be bold enough to find an edge, but not so bold you spend six months unpicking your own idea.
Inside the Red Bull ecosystem, that balance is everything. Milton Keynes will naturally pull resource toward its works program, but Faenza has been smart at carving out its own identity under Mekies. The 2025 haul — and the cash that comes with P6 — buys time in the wind tunnel and more flexibility in the CFD queue. The question now is execution.
On paper, 2026 should reward cars that are efficient out of the box and power units that play nicely with the new energy management rules. In practice, the biggest early wins will come from correlation: does what the tunnel says on a Tuesday match what Lawson feels on a Friday? That’s where his winter becomes vital, where those “few days in the sim” multiply, and where Racing Bulls either hit the ground running or spend March chasing ghosts.
For Lawson, there’s also a mental release. He’s not sneaking into pre-season through a side door, he’s walking through the front. He can push the development program, lead the sim work, and arrive at Round 1 knowing the car is at least partially shaped to his hands. For a driver who built momentum across the second half of 2025, that continuity is priceless.
The midfield won’t get any softer next year. But Racing Bulls just proved they can play the long game without losing the short ones, and Lawson’s tone suggests a team that’s timed its 2026 acceleration with intent rather than panic. Winter is when that kind of discipline pays off.
Context: The 2025 Formula One World Championship entry list, calendar, and standings are available via the official record here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Formula_One_World_Championship
What to watch next:
– How early Lawson and Lindblad split simulator duties — and who drives which development items — will tell you plenty about RB’s internal plan.
– Any hints of parts commonality or divergent concepts between the two Red Bull-owned cars early in testing.
– Whether Racing Bulls’ 2025 strengths carry over: operational sharpness, clean weekends, and a knack for points when others trip.
