Lawson downplays team leader role at Racing Bulls for 2026 F1 season

Liam Lawson has tempered expectations around his new role as the senior driver at Racing Bulls for the 2026 season, citing the unprecedented scale of technical changes that will reset the competitive order. The New Zealander, entering his second full F1 season, will partner rookie Arvid Lindblad but believes the sweeping new regulations will largely negate any advantage from his single year of experience.

Why it matters:

The 2026 regulation overhaul represents the most significant technical reset in recent F1 history, potentially diminishing the value of prior experience. Lawson's perspective highlights how teams and drivers are approaching the new era not as an evolution, but as a near-total reboot where adaptability may trump seniority.

The details:

• Lawson will enter the 2026 season with 35 Grand Prix starts, making him the de facto team leader alongside F2 graduate Arvid Lindblad, who replaces the Red Bull-bound Isack Hadjar.
• The 2026 regulations feature radical changes to both chassis and power units, including the introduction of active aerodynamics and a tripling of electrical energy output from the batteries compared to 2025.
• When asked if his seniority would provide an advantage, Lawson stated, "Yes, but at the same time, it is going to be a new car for me, too." He emphasized that while he learned a lot in his rookie season, the primary focus is being "as ready as possible" for the completely new package.
• He expects the team may "lean on me a little bit" but realistically acknowledged the limits of one season's experience in a sport with a steep learning curve.

The big picture:

Lawson's comments reflect a pragmatic approach shared by many in the paddock facing the 2026 reset. For midfield teams like Racing Bulls, the regulation change represents a crucial opportunity to close the gap to the front, making driver feedback and development speed in the new car more critical than any nominal team hierarchy. The success of their project will depend less on who is the 'leader' and more on how effectively both drivers can collaborate to extract performance from a blank-slate design.

What's next:

All focus for Lawson and Racing Bulls now shifts to pre-season preparation for the new car. "Taking all of the learnings from this year will be very important next year," Lawson noted, suggesting his 2025 experience will be applied to the process of development and teamwork rather than specific car knowledge. The true test of his leadership will come not in outpacing his rookie teammate initially, but in steering the team's development direction effectively throughout the 2026 season.