Liam Lawson has been cautioned that the new 2026 Formula 1 cars might bring to light a weakness in his game this season.
The Racing Bulls haven’t had a standout pre-season so far, but Arvid Lindblad did manage to put in more laps than anyone else during Wednesday’s morning session.
He handed over driving duties to Liam Lawson for the afternoon as both drivers get ready for the season opener in Australia.
Jack Doohan, watching from trackside in Bahrain, noticed something in the Racing Bulls setup that could be an issue going forward. Still, team principal Alan Permane will hope there’s enough time to address any problems with the VCARB 03 before racing gets underway.
Meanwhile, commentator and journalist Nelson Valkenburg believes a familiar problem could return for Lawson. He suggested that issues from his short spell at Red Bull might reappear this year with the new regulations:
Liam Lawson facing more Racing Bulls issues in 2026
Valkenburg spoke about Racing Bulls’ performance during an appearance on the Nailing the Apex Podcast and said: “Yes, it felt very uninterested in headline lap times, but they had some performance niggles and some engine problems and hydraulics.
“I don’t know, where the foundation of the Red Bull feels incredibly strong and stable, less so for the Racing Bulls team, but we can put them in this similar category [to Audi]. Could be fifth, could be eighth.
“I’m becoming a fan of Lindblad. When I spoke to him, he didn’t look shell-shocked, and that’s a good place to be after your first few test days.
“For Lawson, I worry a bit simply because we’ve learned over these days that there is a way of going fast into corners that makes the car a little tail happy.
“Which is probably a nightmare scenario for Liam Lawson, considering what we saw at Red Bull last year.
“You go through the gears, your weight transfers to the front, you do a lot of engine braking and the car. You have to hang on to the rear as you turn into the corner; basically Max’s dream right?”
While there are certainly areas for concern when it comes to Racing Bulls’ chances this season based on what has been seen during pre-season testing so far in Bahrain. However they’ll hope that they still have time before things get going for real against McLaren in Australia next month.
Racing Bulls expect big things from Liam Lawson as 2026 season approaches
While the early feedback on the new regulations hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive for Lawson, he’s still young enough to develop the skills needed to thrive under these conditions.
Racing Bulls clearly believe in his potential – they wouldn’t have chosen him over Yuki Tsunoda if they didn’t think he could be a strong partner for Lindblad.
On the first day of Bahrain’s second week of testing, Lawson finished 12th, seven places ahead of Lindblad.
The times don’t hold much weight at this point in the season, but it’s still a small boost for Lawson as he heads into the final stretch of pre-season preparations.
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