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Liam Lawson returned to Racing Bulls after losing his Red Bull seat with his “head was down” and “certainly” not looking like the same driver, but team boss Alan Permane says the New Zealander has rebuilt his form through hard work and a close support system inside the team.
Speaking on Beyond The Grid, Permane said Lawson’s state was obvious when he came back after his brief and difficult Red Bull spell at the start of 2025. “He didn't really say much about it to start with, honestly, his head was down and he won't thank me for saying this, because I think at the time, he was, ‘no, everything's fine’, but you could tell,” Permane said. Racing Bulls knew Lawson from the previous season, and Permane added that “he certainly wasn't the same guy.”
The drop in confidence followed a sharp rise and fall. Lawson had replaced Daniel Ricciardo in 2024 and earned a promotion to Red Bull for 2025 alongside Max Verstappen, only for that move to unravel almost immediately. He crashed in Australia, then qualified last for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in China before being sent back to Racing Bulls after just two rounds.
Permane was careful not to overstate the team’s role in the recovery. He said Racing Bulls did not “rebuild” Lawson, but supported him while he worked his way back. “He works incredibly hard and he works incredibly well with his engineering team,” Permane said, adding that Lawson “worked hard in the simulator, he worked hard off track and on track” before that effort turned into “some really, really good performances.”
Lawson has described Permane as central to that process. Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, he said the Racing Bulls boss “was my reference point when I came back into the team.” Lawson said he returned to a familiar environment after the Red Bull setback and that Permane’s belief in him helped restore his confidence quickly. “I wasn't obviously in a great place after what had happened, but he knew what I was worth, he believed in me and he got my confidence back very quickly. In a few races, it was fixed.”
That relationship is unusual because it was built before Permane became team boss. Lawson said the two had already been working closely on technical and engineering matters in 2024, and that “nothing really changed” when Permane moved into the top role. He said they still speak closely not only about the car and driving, but also on a personal level.
The turnaround is now visible in the numbers. Lawson has scored 39 points in the first 10 rounds, with points finishes in the five Grands Prix before Belgium. He has delivered 39 of Racing Bulls’ 61 points, leaving the team level with Alpine heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix in one of the tightest midfield fights on the grid.