Source: Radio New Zealand
Liam Lawson. photosport
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson says practice and qualifying sessions for the Australian Grand Prix will answer a host of questions about the 2026 Formula 1 pecking order.
Wheels will spin for the first time this season on Friday afternoon (2.30pm NZT) at the first of three practice sessions in Melbourne – where the eyes of the motor racing world will be closely glued.
Uncertainty surrounds who the drivers and teams to beat will be, given an enormous overhaul to car specifications from last season.
A wet start for the 2025 Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. James Ross / www.photosport.nz
New mandated power units place more emphasis on battery power and have made the off-season a perplexing one for team designers, with several drivers emerging unimpressed with the changes during testing in Bahrain.
Racing Bulls driver Lawson said it was genuinely difficult to tell who in the 22-strong field will be fastest this season but expected it won’t take long to get answers on the inner-city Albert Park Circuit.
“Obviously we have no idea in testing what everybody is doing so it’ll be this weekend where we exactly find out where we sit. You probably figure out pretty quickly who’s quick and who’s not,” he said.
“It’s a lot of unknowns right now. It’s exciting to see what these new cars bring to the sport but for us it’s definitely a different feeling to when I came in last year.”
In 2025, Lawson arrived in Melbourne as the second Red Bulls driver, very much the junior alongside Max Verstappen.
Liam Lawson of Red Bull Racing greets fan on arrival at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria. JOEL CARRETT / Photosport
This time, the 24-year-old Kiwi is the senior driver, with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad handed a debut in the second car.
Lawson offered some words of advice to the young Briton.
“Finding time for yourself and making sure you’re focused.
“Once you’re in Formula 1, it’s all of you guys (media) and all the noise that’s around the sport that is probably a new thing that you’re not used to.”
British driver Arvid Lindblad, competing in New Zealand in 2025. Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Given the refreshed nature of the cars, Lawson said there is the opportunity for a mid-rank team like Racing Bulls to upset bigger rivals.
“In a year like this, there’s definitely potential for something like that,” he said.
“Even reliability-wise, it’s the early part of the season. It’s very important to have a car that is lasting the race and operating as we want it to.
“But the faster you are, the better you’re going to score.”
Qualifying is on Saturday evening, ahead of Sunday’s race (5pm NZT).
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
