Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has praised Liam Lawson’s recent upswing in form, crediting both the New Zealander’s determination and a key technical upgrade recently introduced by the team.
Lawson began 2025 at Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen, but after just two rounds was moved back to the Faenza-based sister team to partner rookie Isack Hadjar.
His early return came amid concerns over performance, and Permane admits Lawson did not initially look like the confident racer the team knew.
“He’s done a great job, honestly,” Permane said, quoted by RaceFans. “Two races at Red Bull, obviously, were very tough for him.
“He won’t thank me for saying this, but he definitely was a bit downbeat. He didn’t have a spring in his step, and we’ve done what we can to help him there.
“To jump in our car straight away without having tested it was, of course, not easy. He’s up against Isack who has been outstanding this year.
“First race for him was Japan and Isack was absolutely flying there. So, it’s a tough introduction for him, but we’ve made some changes.”
Breakthrough in Austria
Hadjar dominated their early head-to-head, out-scoring Lawson 21–4 across the first eight rounds of their partnership.
But since securing a season-best sixth place at the Austrian Grand Prix, Lawson has been Racing Bulls’ main points scorer – a shift Permane links directly to a major update on the VCARB 02.
“He’s worked hard,” Permane said. “Him and his engineering team have worked really, really hard.
“We had a bit of a breakthrough in Austria. We had a new front suspension for him, which they developed through the simulator, and he really liked it, was really enthusiastic about it, and it worked there.
“And we saw in Spa again, he’s performing. You could see after that race. Monaco was a decent race for him, but Austria, he had a spring back in his step.”
Since the Red Bull Ring upgrade, Lawson has not only closed the gap to Hadjar – by comfortably outscoring his teammate in three of the last four races – but the 23-year-old has also rediscovered the upbeat energy that was missing earlier in the campaign.
For Permane, the combination of technical improvements and the driver’s own effort has been key to unlocking that progress.
The challenge now will be maintaining momentum in the closing stages of the season, and with Lawson’s confidence rebuilt, Racing Bulls look set to benefit from a driver hitting his stride at just the right time.
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