Formula 1: Liam Lawson faces anxiety over challenges of new car as 2026 begins in Melbourne

This year’s weather will be kinder on the 22 drivers – up from 20 after the inclusion of American giants Cadillac – even if the challenge of Melbourne takes on new meaning.

Sweeping changes to Formula One’s regulations, dictating how cars are designed, built, and powered, have seen huge question marks over the season’s start, as drivers adapt.

Already, four-time world champion Max Verstappen has complained about the potential disruption the new regulations will cause.

On top of that, Lawson’s Racing Bulls team and their senior Red Bull stablemates are entering 2026 with a new engine. Red Bull have divorced themselves from Japanese manufacturer Honda and partnered with Ford to produce their own power units for the first time.

But with the lessons of 2025 and impressive displays in pre-season testing under his belt, Lawson enters this season as the most secure he’s been as a Formula One driver.

“Melbourne is going to be one of the toughest tracks for battery management,” he said. ”So for all of us it’s going to be a challenge.

“Every team does their own thing in testing, it’s hard to know where we sit. We’ll find that out in qualifying.

“We know things we need to improve, and we’ve been working hard on that. It’s going to be exciting to figure out this weekend.”

The next 12 months will also see Lawson take on a new role within Racing Bulls. After fending off Yuki Tsunoda to retain his place on the grid at the end of last year, Lawson is now his team’s lead driver.

Partnered by teenager Arvid Lindblad, the only rookie on the grid, Lawson’s previous 35 grands prix see him comfortably outrank his teammate. Given Racing Bulls’ status as Red Bull’s junior side, Lawson is the 2026 grid’s youngest lead driver, at just 24.

Responsibility is nothing new for the Kiwi.

When racing in Japanese Super Formula in 2023, Lawson was forced to take on a leadership role with his Team Mugen side, when the series’ defending champion Tomoki Nojiri was ruled out with illness. Lawson responded by winning his next race at Oita’s Autopolis.

That comes on top of his role in 2025, where he unofficially mentored rookie Isack Hadjar, on his way to stepping into Red Bull’s senior ranks.

But asked whether he feels any need to step up and lead from the front, Lawson points out his role in the team hasn’t changed.

“Honestly, I don’t feel any added responsibility,” Lawson added. “For sure, there’s maybe a little bit of expectation, with the experience of last year, to know how things work a bit more.

“But at the same time, I’m green with these cars, and will be trying to figure them out as much as I can.”

At the very least, Lawson should take confidence from what he’s achieved over the past 12 months. While, yes, he was brutally demoted by Red Bull after just two races – including Melbourne – Lawson picked himself up in a way that few drivers get the chance to do.

Race by race, Lawson grew, and achieved career-best results, from eighth in Monaco, to sixth in Austria, and then fifth in Azerbaijan.

Those results – seven points finishes – were enough for 14th in the drivers championship, as he and Hadjar took Racing Bulls to sixth in the constructors, the best finish in the team’s history.

With engineering changes bringing uncertainty to teams in the battle for points, Lawson knows his own performances must be of the highest standard as the season starts.

“It’s hard to give an exact number or expectation on that,” he explained. “We don’t even know how competitive we are compared to other teams at the moment.

“In simple terms, overachieving is what I’m trying to do every time I get in the car, and do the best job I can.

“If I can be here in 12 months’ time, reflect and go ‘that was a great year for me as a driver’, regardless of what the result looks like, that’ll be success.”

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.