Liam Lawson says he needs to improve on qualifying side in second half of F1 2025, as he notes Austria was more of a complete weekend for him thus far in up/down year.
It was demoralizing switch for Lawson from Red Bull to Visa Cash App RB after two races in F1 2025 season. Even though the Kiwi denies having lost confidence, there would be a pinch of hurt certainly. All he could do is prove a point that he still has the talent that got him the seat in the first place.
It was not as easy to get back into the Visa Cash App RB car against Isack Hadjar, but he has picked up strongly and has scored handful of points to keep the team in the fight for fifth in the constructors’ championship. He scored his career best result in Austria in sixth after a good qualifying.
And it is the grand prix which he terms as his best so far in F1 2025 in terms of a complete performance. “I think Austria was a more complete weekend in terms of qualifying was maximised, race was maximised,” he said. “I don’t think we could have achieved too much more. In Spa the car was quick, qualifying wasn’t perfect, and going into the race we were able to capitalise.
“It’s just been more consistent recently, [with Hungary as well]. There needs to be more because to have two good races like that in what’s been 12 races is not enough. We need to be doing it nearly every weekend if that’s the target. It’s been busy [overall]. It’s been a whirlwind, especially at the start of the year. Very unexpected, and what was probably a rocky start has now stabilised and we’re in a better place.
“The speed’s been there most of the year, and it’s nice that we’re finally able to get a couple of good results. As a whole, we need to be doing that more. As I said, to have two or three of those races over the first half of the season is not enough. Going forward into the second half of the year, we’re trying to replicate this more.
“Right now, with how close it is, it’s the little things that make a big difference. Trying to extract everything each weekend,” summed up Lawson, who picks up qualifying as the area he needs to improve in the second half, considering how close the field is which makes the qualifying position all the more important in the races to score points.
He hopes the upcoming tracks where he has competed multiple times in F1, will help his cause after two separate runs at some of them in the last two seasons. “If I was to just pick an area, overall, it’s qualifying,” continued Lawson. “With how important it is at the moment because everybody’s very close, even on tracks that are maybe easier to overtake, it’s still difficult because you don’t have a three, four, five tenth pace advantage.
“You have like a one or two tenth pace advantage, and that’s very hard to overtake. Qualifying is very important, it sets up your weekend. Where our weekends have fallen away, at least on my side, has been normally in an average qualifying.
“Where our weekends have been strong, it’s when we qualify well. That’s the main target: just extracting everything, making sure we have the car in the best place going into qualifying, and then for me getting everything out of it and doing a better job.”
Here’s Isack Hadjar on apprehension about F1 seat
Here’s Liam Lawson on confidence