Lawson feeling the pressure of “extremely close” Austrian GP

Liam Lawson is feeling the pressure ahead of what he believes will be the closest battle of the season, with the Kiwi urging Racing Bulls to weigh up its weekend priorities ahead of his first outing at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Having spent a week away from the race track, joining the grid to revel in the glitz and glamour of the F1: The Movie world premiere in New York City, Lawson returns to the European circuit with nothing but a return to the points-paying positions on his mind.

Leaving the memories of a subpar Montreal weekend in the past — an outing that went from bad to worse as he was forced to retire from the race — the new challenge that the Red Bull Ring poses for Lawson is a breath of fresh air, with this weekend marking the Kiwi’s first time competing in Formula 1 machinery at Red Bull’s home circuit. 

Feeling excited for the uncharted task that lies ahead is the motivation both Lawson and his teammate Isack Hadjar will need in their mission to return to the top ten, with both drivers leaving empty-handed in Round 10.

“It’s really hard to tell [what our strengths and weaknesses will be] at this point, honestly,” Lawson said.

“I think, one thing I know, it’s going to be close here, it’s always very close and this year in general it’s been extremely close.

“So, I expect it to be even more so this weekend just because it’s a short lap, and it’s been that kind of season.

“Our car has been strong recently so, I think in Barcelona it was fast — we hope it’s fast here — but honestly, it’s really, really hard to tell, so I’m excited. 

“It’s a new track in Formula 1 for me, I haven’t done it here in Formula 1.”

Sitting at just 4.3km in length, the Red Bull Ring may look relatively simple on paper with just 10 corners to its configuration, however, there is still every chance of driver error throughout the lap, with track limits historically playing an overpowering role come Qualifying.

The kerbs can be unforgiving in Austria, causing damage to the floor of the car if you are to get on the wrong side of the abrasive bumps, while the likes of the uphill Turn 1 and downhill Turn 4 braking zones are the most critical in Qualifying and on the Lap 1 tussle for position. 

With the competition expected to be separated by some of the slimmest margins we’ve been privy to in 2025, not tripping up is at the forefront of the Kiwi’s mind as the first hour of practice steadily approaches. 

“It’s just more important [to nail the lap around the Red Bull Ring], any little mistake here and you can pretty much be sure that the lap will be no good, you know, it won’t matter,” he said.

“Honestly, I expect it to be the closest [Qualifying] of probably the year.

“Something like we saw in Barcelona, honestly, just because it’s already close here every year and this year, in general, has just been so close between teams, between cars, so yeah.

“It puts that pressure on us as a team to get the maximum out of the car, but also in the car, to nail that lap, like you say, to not make any mistakes.”

As much as the driver matters, their machinery holds equal importance meaning the RB engineering team finds itself plagued with the decision of prioritising grid position or race setup this weekend.

The weather may also play a decisive role in that factor, with teams forced to shelter in their motorhomes as the sky unleashed hailstorms and rain on the circuit during Media Day in Spielberg. 

“You can look at [car setup] different ways because of how close it’s going to be,” Lawson said.

“You can basically prioritise ‘okay, we need to get every last hundredth out of the car in Qualifying’ because that can jump you, you know… the difference between Q1 and Q3 here can be a tenth and that’s really, really close.

“So, it depends on how you look at it but at the same time, the race is very, very long and the last couple of years, it’s been two stops with a bit of deg so you need to have a car that can pass, a car that’s quick in the race, otherwise you’ll just fall back.

“One of those ones for the engineering team.”

Moderate thunderstorm warnings still loom over the Styrian hills ahead of the opening hour of practice, with the forecast reflecting a 20% chance of showers on Friday — a factor that could see the order still up in the air come the end of Day 1 at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Free Practice 1 will kick off at 21:30 AEST tonight, followed by Free Practice 2 at 01:00 AEST.

Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool.

2025 Austrian Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, June 27:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, June 28:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, June 29:

Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00

Race: 23:00

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