Source: Radio New Zealand
NZ F1 driver Liam Lawson PHOTOSPORT
Liam Lawson concedes driving remains difficult as he and the majority of the grid struggle with the new electrical element in their Formula 1 cars.
After a two-week break the championship heads to Japan for the third round, with Mercedes well clear after finishing one-two in Australia and China.
The FIA has announced that it is tweaking the energy management rules to allow drivers to push harder.
The maximum energy teams will be allowed to harvest from their hybrid power units to recharge their batteries during Saturday’s grid-deciding session will be reduced to 8 megajoules (MJ) from 9 MJ. The change means drivers will be able to push more and focus less on recovering energy.
Lawson admitted because of the new hybrid cars, driving has changed, especially in qualifying.
“There are more consequences when you get it wrong, like use too much energy, it can be quite punishing,” Lawson told F1.
NZ F1 driver Liam Lawson at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. ALBERTO VIMERCATI / PHOTOSPORT
“We used to go into weekends spending all of our time setting up the car and optimising the car balance, right now it is energy management and trying to get the most out of that because there is so much lap time in it.
“Last year qualifying was fun, this year it is easy to overdrive it and use too much [energy] and make a mistake because it is new it is quite different and difficult.”
The 24-year-old Racing Bulls driver is coming off a double-points haul in China (sprint and GP) and sits ninth in the standings with eight points.
Mercedes driver George Russell tops the standings with 51 points.
Meanwhile, former F1 driver Jolyn Palmer believed Lawson was benefiting from the absence of Helmut Marko in the F1 paddock.
Marko retired as Red Bull advisor following the 2025 championship and is understood to have been the leading figure in the decision to demote Lawson from Red Bull after just two rounds last season.
New Zealand Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka. Eric Alonso / PHOTOSPORT
Palmer, who drove for Renault in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, is now an F1 broadcaster and was asked about Lawson’s start to the 2026 season without Marko involved.
“He was a big presence that could be really hard on young drivers coming through, but he was also a benefit to those who could thrive and become a world champion,” Palmer said about Marko on the F1 Nation podcast.
“Liam obviously saw the brunt of that last year. But it did remind me of the resilience that he’s got, and I think you have to say he’s a tough guy, Liam.
“We’ve seen it in his wheel-to-wheel battles; he’s not afraid to flip the bird to whoever does him wrong in a Grand Prix.
“And also, it took him a while to get up to speed with Racing Bulls last year as well. It wasn’t instantaneous, but he got there, and he had some good drives.
“The same thing in Melbourne. It would have been really easy for him to say, ‘Oh no, Lindblad’s here. He’s getting all the credit from Australia.’ But he drove really well in China, getting points in the sprint and the Grand Prix, and it will settle him down for the year as well.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
