‘Sad’ Liam Lawson observation after ruthless Red Bull F1 drop

Liam Lawson was initially “sad” when he returned to the Racing Bulls F1 team following his brutal axing from Red Bull.

That was the observation made by Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer when Lawson arrived back at the team’s Faenza factory following his disastrous two-race stint with the main Red Bull team.

Lawson returned to Racing Bulls after two torrid weekends as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, with Yuki Tsunoda promoted in the other direction in a ruthless driver swap ahead of Japanese Grand Prix.

Racing Bulls boss Bayer noted how the 23-year-old Kiwi was evidently hurt by the experience.

“Welcoming Liam back to the team has been a pleasant experience ultimately because we know him well,” Bayer said on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“He’s in a good space. He’s happy, he’s motivated. He’s looking forward to going racing and he also showed some pace last week in Bahrain. We are confident we’ll have a good racing campaign from here.”

Asked if Lawson had lost confidence following his return to Racing Bulls, Bayer replied: “Confidence, no? It took a moment for him to digest.

“The first time I saw him when he came to Italy, he looked a bit sad.

“Honestly that was how I perceived him when he came in. He was a bit puzzled with everything that happened very quickly.

“But also at the same time he knew the people, he knew all the tools, all the set-up and I really felt that very quickly he was returning to the old Liam.

“He’s a great racer. He’s somebody who has great humour and that’s what we see now again.”

Liam Lawson denies confidence collapse

Speaking ahead of the weekend in Jeddah, Lawson insisted his confidence had not been negatively impacted by his brutal axing.

"Honestly, confidence-wise, nothing really changed from the start of the year," he said.

"I didn't spend anywhere near enough time [in the Red Bull] for me to reflect on those two races and go, 'Oh my god, I've really struggled in this car, I've lost my ability’.

"It wasn't really like that. I did two races that were two very messy weekends from a lot of factors, but I think confidence-wise that didn't really change.

"It's just been about getting used to a new car again, and the team, and trying to do all that as quickly as possible. I think that's really been where the focus is at. Confidence-wise I feel, honestly, as I always have."