Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls’ best chance of success in the 2026 Formula 1 season hinges on maintaining a rapid development pace throughout the year, as the new regulations create opportunities for teams willing to push aggressive upgrade paths.
Racing Bulls has scored points in all three races so far this season, navigating the sweeping regulation changes more successfully than several larger rivals — including senior team Red Bull Racing. But Lawson has cautioned that the competitive order remains fluid, and the real fight is only beginning.
“The main thing is going to be on the development side for the teams,” Lawson told media including Grand Prix Wire. “Last year, we bring an upgrade to a race, we’d bring less upgrades, obviously, because we were finding it harder to find differences, and those upgrades would be maybe a few points of downforce. This year, we’re expecting to bring much bigger things throughout the year, and the rate of that hopefully will be faster as well.”
Miami and Montreal upgrades on the way
The all-new technical regulations for 2026 — featuring overhauled chassis and power units with active aerodynamics — have shuffled the established pecking order. Early in a rules cycle, the freedom from title-defending obligations can work in favour of smaller teams willing to take risks.
Racing Bulls will debut aerodynamic upgrades at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, with further developments scheduled for the Canadian Grand Prix later in May.
“We’ve got some good stuff coming,” said team principal Alan Permane.
The challenge for Racing Bulls lies in maintaining that upgrade tempo against better-resourced, factory-backed rivals such as Audi, Alpine, and Aston Martin, who are expected to accelerate their development rates as the season progresses.
Permane confident in midfield battle
Racing Bulls operates across two sites — an aerodynamics department in Milton Keynes, where it shares a wind tunnel with Red Bull Racing, and a race operations base at Faenza, Italy. The team’s comparatively modest budget makes its early-season performance all the more noteworthy.
“I’m very confident that we can keep up, if not do better than the other midfield teams,” Permane said. “There’ll be small steps almost every race, I would say, and then another two or three large upgrades already planned. Beyond that, so up to the shutdown, we’ve got a plan. I’m very confident we can stay with that group; we’re kind of in a group of four, which is Alpine, Haas, and Audi.”
Being within touching distance of Red Bull Racing — even this early in the campaign — reflects how exposed the senior team has been under the new regulations. For Racing Bulls, the question is whether rivals with greater infrastructure can pull away as the technical demands intensify.
Permane acknowledged the gap to the front remains significant. “To make inroads to the top guys, I’m not sure that’s going to be so easy,” he said. “Of course, we will do our best, and we will try, and we will do everything we can, but they’re a bit of a step away. Certainly, fighting for podiums looks like it would be tough this year, but let’s see what we can do.”
Fourth in constructors’ within reach
While Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren have established a clear advantage at the front, Racing Bulls sits just four points behind Haas for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Last season, Lawson and teammate Isack Hadjar pushed the team to sixth overall, equalling the squad’s best-ever result.
From the cockpit, Lawson sees his role as helping drive the team forward in the development race. The coming weeks will reveal whether Racing Bulls’ early form is the product of a strong interpretation of the new rules or simply the volatility typical of a regulation reset.
The Miami Grand Prix takes place this weekend, with first practice on Friday, 2 May.