Lawson reveals 'biggest challenge' of Red Bull switch: When two cars in the same group are different 'in every way'

Zandvoort, Netherlands – The Red Bull RB21 has the most impressive high-speed grip Liam Lawson has ever felt. But what the New Zealander admits is the 'biggest challenge' is not about speed, but about the almost absolute difference between two cars within the same group. Lawson, 24, only learned on Wednesday that he would take the Red Bull seat at Zandvoort, after Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury. He finished P7 and scored points. By Monza, Hadjar had not recovered, Lawson was called up again, and Yuki Tsunoda was moved down to Racing Bulls to fill the vacancy. A driver rotation rarely seen at a top team. 'The cars are different everywhere, other than the power unit,' Lawson said. 'Red Bull's high-speed grip is the most impressive. The balance of the car is very different. Different including the feedback through the steering and the way it moves around.' He emphasized: 'Even in the simulator, they are very different to drive.' This is a rare natural experiment in F1: the same driver, same tires, same circuit, but two different chassis. Data from Lawson himself shows that the Red Bull RB21's design philosophy – optimizing high-speed downforce – creates a faster but more demanding machine with a narrow operating window. Racing Bulls, conversely, may be easier to drive at the limit but has a lower performance ceiling. This raises a big question: if two cars sharing the same Red Bull group technical resources are this different, where is the technology transfer boundary between the main team and the junior team? The answer lies in the cost cap – sharing intellectual property between two teams counts against the main team's development budget, so the separation is deliberate. But there is a counter-intuitive angle: Lawson having to prepare for both cars, talking to both teams' engineers to stay ready for any scenario, is what makes the seat switch the 'biggest challenge'. Not speed, not pressure, but cognitive distraction. He did not know which car he would drive until Wednesday. That dual preparation costs double the time and energy. Monza will be a different test. It is the lowest-downforce circuit on the calendar, where high-speed grip – what Lawson finds most impressive about the Red Bull – is almost irrelevant. Instead, straight-line speed and braking stability will decide. With three practice sessions instead of one at Zandvoort (a Sprint weekend), Lawson gains roughly two extra hours of track time to adapt. He said: 'Now it should be easier to adjust, with three practice sessions and a more normal weekend. It's another good opportunity.' Injury records do not lie – only those who read them know how to hide the truth. Hadjar's wrist fracture triggered a chain reaction: Lawson gets a second Red Bull opportunity, Tsunoda is pushed back to Racing Bulls, and both are being evaluated as candidates for the 2026 seat. Red Bull's constructors' championship fight could be affected when the second car is continuously driven by drivers still adapting. When the changing room door closes, I understand that tactics are not on the drawing board. For Lawson, tactics lie in navigating between two different worlds, two different cars, and an undetermined future. Monza will tell us whether he can turn the 'biggest challenge' into a career springboard.