Lawson feeling at ease with VCARB 02 after Red Bull F1 demotion

Liam Lawson said he has enjoyed his return to Racing Bulls at Suzuka despite his harsh demotion from Red Bull, feeling at ease in the team’s vastly different Formula 1 car.

After two difficult race weekends Lawson’s Red Bull stint was cut short by the team’s management, which opted to try his former Racing Bulls team-mate Yuki Tsunoda instead.

Having felt he needed more time to get used to Red Bull’s tricky to drive RB21, which he ultimately wasn’t afforded, Lawson got up to speed much quicker in the VCARB 02, taking fifth in an admittedly disjointed Suzuka FP2, less than half a tenth behind new team-mate Isack Hadjar.

“It felt good. It is definitely a different feeling to drive,” Lawson said about his first day in his new car. “I think the window that the guys have at the moment is very, very good. And the car has been fast so far this season, so hopefully we can replicate that tomorrow as well.

“It’s a very cool track. With the resurfacing sector one is even faster now, so it just feels like it’s tearing your head off, which is quite exciting.”

At Racing Bulls Lawson has found a warmer environment to regain his confidence, with team principal Laurent Mekies adamant that his priority was to help the 23-year-old New Zealander find his feet again.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Motorsport Images

“He knows he has an important role to play with us in the battle we have in the midfield,” Mekies said. “He knows he has a point to prove out there, so we are all very conscious that his talent is there and it’s about finding the right conditions to extract it back out of him.”

Lawson said he had received the right support from the Anglo-Italian team to make the transition as smooth as possible: “Yeah, it’s been nice. Everybody’s been very, very positive, even from last week.

“Laurent was straight on the phone and very, very positive and saying all the things I needed to hear, going to see everyone at the factory, and obviously yesterday coming to the paddock as well.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with this team, they’re a great bunch of people. It is nice to feel that welcome back again, so hopefully we can go and have some good races together.”

Photos from Japanese GP – Practice