Leadership shift no distraction for Lawson in Belgium

Liam Lawson has voiced his thoughts on the leadership shake-up at Racing Bulls, calling the restructure “perfect” for the team and praising Laurent Mekies as the ideal choice to take over at Red Bull.

Despite the overhaul at the top, Lawson remained unfazed and fully focused on the challenges ahead, refusing to let the leadership change distract him from his racing goals.

“I mean, obviously, big changes, but for us, not a lot changes, at least from my side,” Lawson said.

“As drivers, for us, nothing is really changing; we still approach the weekends the same way.

“Obviously, for Laurent [Mekies], I’m sure he’s going to be very, very good at Red Bull, and for us, having Alan [Permane] who’s obviously been at the team now for a couple of years with us, it’s perfect, honestly.

“For us, I think it’s exciting — from an approach from my side, nothing really changes.”

Reflecting on the leadership shift, Lawson wished his now-former Team Principal well in his move to Red Bull Racing, backing Laurent Mekies to thrive in his new team. 

The Kiwi said Mekies would do “great” at the helm of the Austrian outfit, crediting his experience and calm leadership style as valuable assets for the successful team.

“He’s somebody who cares a lot,” the #30 said.

“Very, very good human being, so I’ve loved working with him, obviously, would love to work with him again in the future in some way.

“For Red Bull, I think it’s a great opportunity for them to have Laurent there.”

Having already felt Red Bull’s ruthlessness firsthand with his early-season demotion after just two races in Australia and China, Lawson admitted Christian Horner’s abrupt dismissal still came as a surprise — even if recent history made such a move possible.

However, with the news breaking in the days following the British Grand Prix, the Kiwi has had ample time to move on from the Team Principal shuffle, shifting his sole focus to maximising the Sprint weekend in Belgium.

“For us, it was a surprise, I think for most people it was,” Lawson said.

“But yeah, I think there’s not a lot of time to really think too much about it.

“We’re racing again this weekend, so I was basically focused on preparing for this.”

Yet to take on the iconic Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Formula 1 machinery, Lawson’s task of scoring his third points finish in 2025 will be made all the more difficult by the reduced practice sessions as part of the Sprint format.

As a result, the Kiwi will need to lean on his experience in the junior categories, where he’s enjoyed notable success around Spa. 

In Formula 2, Lawson claimed victory in the Sprint Race from fifth on the grid and followed it up with a podium finish in the Feature. 

His time in Formula 3 was also strong, with a fourth-place finish in the 2020 Feature Race adding to a solid points haul that weekend — a result that is on the RB driver’s mind after reflecting on the events of the first half of the season.

“We’ve definitely had a little bit of time to reflect, but I think because we have two more races before the break, it’s been a lot of, sort of, preparation as well for these races,” he said.

“I think we’ll have more time in the summer break to properly reflect on things, but yeah, it’s been a hectic year.

“Up and down as it is in Formula 1, normally, and I think for us, obviously, the highlight would be Austria.

“And, you know, for us, the target is trying to repeat that, sort of, more often and not have that once in twelve races.”

Changing weather conditions could play a crucial role in Lawson’s push for points this weekend, with forecasts predicting a significant amount of rain across the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint weekend.

Practice and Sprint Qualifying on Friday carry a 60% chance of rain, while Saturday and Sunday’s events both have a 20% chance, expected to hit the circuit in the afternoon.

Lawson’s sole hour of practice will kick off at 20:30 AEST tonight before Sprint Qualifying gets underway at 00:30 AEST.

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

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