Liam Lawson is focused on collective reflection after weekends and seasons, as he notes F1 qualifying to be difficult aspect in 2025.
After the hard run in two races with Red Bull, Lawson did not have much time to reflect on things at all. He quickly had to get to speed with Visa Cash App RB and help them in the midfield championship. Even there, he had less time to sit down and reflect on what went wrong and what worked.
He found a set-up that worked for him eventually and was a bit more consistent. He still had some offs but it co-incided with overall dip in performance of Visa Cash App RB car. Over the course of the year, he learnt about moving on as quick after reflection and getting stuck on things.
“I think with how many races we have, you just don’t have time to really dwell,” said Lawson. “I think it’s important that you obviously reflect on each weekend and try to take the positives and try to learn from each weekend. But, yeah, to go through this many weekends and trying not to get stuck on something or caught up in emotion is very tough.
“So, as an example, [in Qatar] – to have a very smooth weekend all the way up to the race and be in a great position, and then a very small mistake throws that all away – it’s extremely frustrating,” summed up Lawson, who felt he needed to step up on F1 qualifying side after failing at a lot of races, which eventually decided his fate in the races due to close competition.
The dirty air made it difficult to pass and he found himself in uncompromising positions against his rivals. “I would say it’s [qualifying trim] definitely been more of a struggle for me,” continued Lawson. “I think the car has been very quick, and I think that’s been what we’ve really worked on, on our side a lot more in 2025 — trying to extract one lap out of the car, and out of me.
“And I think it’s got a lot better through the year. Obviously, Vegas was very specific [in that lot]. It was more like 12 laps than one lap with the way quali was. But I think it’s been getting better through the year. And with how close it is, it’s just putting everything together.
“I mean, in a whole weekend, trying to execute everything is hard enough. That’s been really the challenge in a season that’s this close. And it’s also why when things don’t go smoothly, you can lose quite a lot,” summed up Lawson.
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