Liam Lawson Targets Racing Bulls Surge 2026

Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls is well positioned to capitalise on the early phase of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations through aggressive technical development.

The regulatory reset has reopened significant development headroom compared to the closing stages of the ground-effect era, where teams encountered diminishing returns after several seasons under stable rules. In that phase, performance gains were increasingly marginal, with aerodynamic improvements delivering only minimal lap time benefits.

By contrast, the start of the 2026 cycle offers greater scope for substantial upgrades, allowing teams to introduce meaningful performance steps at a faster rate. Lawson identified this as a critical opportunity for Racing Bulls to potentially leapfrog competitors through consistent and effective development across the season.

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The team’s early-season form provides a competitive baseline. Racing Bulls currently sits seventh in the constructors’ standings with 14 points, just behind Red Bull Racing. Individually, Lawson is also running close to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, underlining the efficiency of the current package.

"The main thing is going to be on the development side for teams, and you see really big differences early in a regulation cycle," Lawson said.

"Last year, we brought fewer upgrades because it was harder to find gains. You might add a small amount of downforce and gain a few hundredths, and that would already be considered a solid step."

"This year, we expect to bring much bigger upgrades throughout the season, and hopefully at a faster rate. That is what we are chasing the hardest, alongside the work we are doing on track and in the simulator to optimise everything."

Beyond development, Lawson also highlighted the team’s operational strength. Reliability has been consistently solid relative to several rivals, while strategic execution and decision-making during race weekends have enabled the team to extract maximum performance from its package.

With a combination of development momentum and strong operational execution, Racing Bulls holds a strategic position to improve its competitiveness in the upcoming rounds. The effectiveness of its upgrade trajectory will be a key indicator of whether the team can sustain progress and reduce the gap to front-running teams as the 2026 Formula 1 season evolves.