Bayer claims Lawson is back to his former self after Red Bull F1 demotion

Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer has said he's pleased to see a reinvigorated Liam Lawson after noting that the Kiwi "looked a bit sad" following his Red Bull Formula 1 demotion just two rounds into the 2025 season.

Lawson previously asserted that he had not suffered any changes to his confidence after his demotion to the Racing Bulls squad, though Bayer says he noted a perceptible change in his demeanour.

Although Lawson is yet to score a point on his return to the Italian squad, with whom he contested 11 grands prix across 2023 and 2024, there have been flashes of pace as he seeks to restore his reputation.

Bayer says that a return to a familiar environment has been good for Lawson, and that the New Zealander is starting to become "the old Liam" once again.

"[Has he lost] confidence? No. But honestly, I think it took a moment for him to digest," Bayer said.

"The first time I saw him when he came to Italy, he looked a bit sad honestly, that's 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, the set up, and I really felt that very quickly he was returning to be the old Liam.

"He's a great racer. He's somebody that has great humour and that's what we see now again."

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Peter Fox - Getty Images

Bayer says that having Lawson back has been "pleasant", and had pleased the team with his pace across the Bahrain weekend – minus the DRS fault that afflicted qualifying.

The Austrian added that he was generally happy with Racing Bulls' progress in 2025 and the form of rookie Isack Hadjar, although pointed at "risk" in strategy during the opening races as one of its downfalls; the team's gamble with staying out on slicks in Australia and two-stopping in China hurt its potential for points.

"Welcoming Liam back to the team has been a pleasant experience ultimately, because we know him well. I had breakfast with him this morning, and he's in a good space. He's happy, he's motivated," added Bayer.

"He's looking forward to going racing and, and he also showed some pace last week in Bahrain, Q1. I think he was having sector times [similar to] Isack in sector 1, sector 3. We're confident that we'll have a good racing campaign from here.

"Laurent [Mekies, team principal] and the team, they also managed to unlock some pace in the car which we have seen in Melbourne and continuing from there, we had our ups and downs.

"We had points in our hands and took perhaps a bit too much risk on the strategy side. But at the same time, we're also happy with how Isack is developing as a young driver who did not have a lot of time in an F1 car, coming from F2, he has unlocked a lot of potential on track and off track. We're very happy with how he's doing."