Liam Lawson has responded to Max Verstappen's claim that 2026 F1 cars feel 'numb' to driver inputs. The New Zealander says he can understand the world champion's perspective but doesn't entirely agree. For him, the quick adaptation he and Yuki Tsunoda have shown doesn't mean the new machines are easy to drive.
Since the Dutch GP, Lawson has been temporarily promoted to Red Bull Racing to replace Isack Hadjar, who is recovering from a broken wrist. Tsunoda then took Lawson's seat at Racing Bulls. In three races with Red Bull, Lawson finished sixth, seventh, and 14th, while Tsunoda scored a point on his second outing at Monza. Those results sparked debate: are 2026 cars easier to adapt to? Verstappen suggested the instant competitiveness was due to drivers being 'in a choke-hold' by energy management, unable to perform at their best. "The cars are numb to driver inputs," Verstappen said, though he conceded "you still have to do a good lap and commit."
Lawson responded calmly. "I don't know, I mean, it is something that the cars in general, they're not simpler because they're actually quite complicated in the way that you [drive], the way the energy is," he told media including RacingNews365. "I can understand it as there are things that are maybe less in our control in the way the energy is [managed], but at the same time, it is myself and Yuki who have jumped in these cars. We're the only ones that know what it's like to try and get up to speed in the new car, so it is definitely not a simple thing."
He added that the gaps between teams might be bigger this year, which could make cars seem easier to drive. "But there are many things that I have personally in my own [Racing Bulls] car that I've got used to over the last year and a half that I've liked that I can't just go and apply in a car like this," he explained. The difference in characteristics between Racing Bulls and Red Bull is one factor that makes adaptation not as straightforward as it looks from the outside.
Lawson then revealed that some comforts in the Racing Bulls cockpit are missing in the Red Bull. "There are things that haven't been very comfortable in the last few races that I've been trying to almost drive around, and those are things that are not just simple on paper that you would see," he said. "But just a personal driver thing: everybody has things in their own car that they're comfortable with. So I think as much as maybe all the cars are okay to jump in and drive, and maybe they are reasonably simple to get up to speed, it's that kind of stuff that I've been trying to get my head around in the last couple of weeks that are different from my car."
Lawson's comments highlight the hidden complexity of F1's new era. The 2026 cars demand a different approach to energy management, and for drivers switching teams mid-season, small details can have a big impact on performance. While Verstappen is vocal about the cars' limitations, Lawson chooses to see it as an adaptation challenge that shouldn't be underestimated.
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