Liam Lawson: Proving Himself at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Liam Lawson is back where he belongs – and with a point to prove.
Demoted by Red Bull just two races into 2025, the Kiwi has spent the past month turning that decision into an awkward talking point for the organisation. Drafted in as a late stand-in for the injured Isack Hadjar, Lawson didn’t just survive the pressure. He thrived in it.
Making a statement in orange country
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort was supposed to be Max Verstappen’s weekend. Instead, Lawson stole a slice of the spotlight.
With minimal preparation in a new car, he qualified just 0.115s behind Verstappen, an eyebrow-raising effort in identical machinery. On Sunday, when Verstappen crashed out on the opening lap, Lawson kept his head while chaos unfolded around him.
He brought the car home in seventh. More than that, he was the only one of Red Bull’s four drivers to score points. On a weekend that exposed mistakes and fragility across the wider Red Bull camp, Lawson looked composed, sharp, and utterly unfazed.
The message was clear: drop me if you like, but I’m not going away.
Points, damage, and a growing case
His three-race stint as Hadjar’s replacement was not flawless, but it was effective.
At Monza, Lawson’s push for another top-10 finish was undone by front wing damage. The incident cost him dearly, leaving him outside the points in a race that had promised more. There was no dramatic recovery drive, no miracle strategy. Just a solid performance undermined by contact and the brutal arithmetic of modern F1.
He responded in Madrid.
At the Spanish Grand Prix in the capital, Lawson converted pace into a clean result, finishing sixth and banking another important haul of points. Across his three outings, he walked away with 14 championship points – a return that would make plenty of full-time midfield drivers glance over their shoulders.
For a so-called stopgap, it was the body of work of a man auditioning for something bigger.
Back to Racing Bulls, back to familiar ground
Now Lawson returns to Racing Bulls, and with it, a different kind of challenge.
His previous weeks have been split between two programmes, juggling simulator work, briefings, and car-specific preparation for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls as Hadjar recovered. That kind of divided focus is draining in a sport where the margins are measured in thousandths.
This weekend, there is clarity. One team. One car. One target.
And the setting could hardly be better. Baku has been good to him before.
Twelve months ago at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lawson delivered his best Formula 1 result to date. He qualified third, then converted that grid position into a fifth-place finish on race day, showcasing both single-lap speed and race craft on one of the trickiest street circuits on the calendar.
Now he returns to the same track, in the same Racing Bulls colours, with the chance to remind everyone that last year was no one-off.
Constructors’ fight tightening
While Lawson has been firefighting higher up the Red Bull structure, Racing Bulls have felt the squeeze.
In his absence, their cushion over Alpine in the constructors’ championship has shrunk to just 11 points. The gap remains, but it no longer feels comfortable. The team did receive a major reprieve earlier in the season when Pierre Gasly was stripped of his Monaco Grand Prix podium, handing Racing Bulls a valuable boost in the standings.
Even so, the momentum is fragile. A bad weekend in Baku could flip the narrative. A strong one could slam the door on Alpine’s hopes.
That’s where Lawson comes in. He’s not just racing for himself now; he’s protecting a position that shapes budgets, development plans, and futures up and down the organisation.
A familiar city, a shifted schedule
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend itself carries a slightly different rhythm this year.
To avoid clashing with the nation’s annual remembrance day on September 27, the event has been moved forward by a day. Track action begins on Thursday night (NZT), nudging teams and drivers out of their usual routines and compressing their preparation windows.
Lawson has already shown he can live with limited build-up and still deliver. Zandvoort proved that. Baku, with its long straights, tight walls, and unforgiving braking zones, will ask a different set of questions.
He arrives with recent points, a proven record around these streets, and a lingering sense that Red Bull may have been a little too quick to move him aside.
Now the circuit that once showcased his potential offers him something else: a chance to change the conversation about his future all over again.
