Alan Permane Delivers Liam Lawson Verdict After Being Fired By Red Bull

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane says he has been impressed by Liam Lawson’s progress since the team introduced a new front suspension for their VCARB 02 at the Austrian Grand Prix in June.



Lawson began the 2025 Formula 1 season with Red Bull’s senior team alongside Max Verstappen but was demoted back to Racing Bulls after the second round in China due to concerns over his performance. He rejoined the Faenza-based squad as team mate to Isack Hadjar.



Permane, who recently took over as Racing Bulls team principal following Laurent Mekies’ move to replace Christian Horner at Red Bull, admitted Lawson returned to the team in a difficult frame of mind.



“He’s done a great job, honestly,” Permane said. “Two races at Red Bull, obviously, were very tough for him. He won’t thank me for saying this, but he definitely was a bit downbeat. He didn’t have a spring in his step, and we’ve done what we can to help him there.



“To jump in our car straight away without having tested it was, of course, not easy. He’s up against Isack who has been outstanding this year. First race for him was Japan and Isack was absolutely flying there. So, it’s a tough introduction for him, but we’ve made some changes.”



In their first eight races together, Hadjar scored 21 points to Lawson’s four. However, after a season-best sixth place at the Red Bull Ring, Lawson has delivered the majority of Racing Bulls’ points haul since Austria.



“He’s worked hard,” Permane said. “Him and his engineering team have worked really, really hard.



“We had a bit of a breakthrough in Austria. We had a new front suspension for him, which they developed through the simulator, and he really liked it, was really enthusiastic about it, and it worked there. We saw in Spa again, he’s performing. You could see after that race. Monaco was a decent race for him, but Austria, he had a spring back in his step.”



Lawson’s turnaround has been one of Racing Bulls’ brighter stories in an otherwise challenging season, and Permane believes the combination of technical upgrades and renewed confidence has put the 23-year-old on a much stronger path for the remainder of the campaign.
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