Guenther Steiner has thrown his backing behind Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson ahead of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
The team, coming off a sixth-place finish in last year’s constructors’ standings, made a few changes to their driver lineup over the winter and will be hoping to build on that result.
Lawson held off Yuki Tsunoda to keep his seat for another season. Meanwhile, Tsunoda moved to Red Bull, replacing Isack Hadjar, while Arvid Lindblad stepped up from Formula 2 to fill the open spot at Racing Bulls.
This leaves Racing Bulls with one of the less experienced lineups on the grid, though early signs suggest they’ve got a car capable of competing for points in the midfield.
Despite being new to Formula 1, Arvid Lindblad is already turning heads behind the scenes. However, it’ll be Lawson who takes on the responsibility of leading Racing Bulls this season.
Guenther Steiner backs Liam Lawson to lead Racing Bulls into 2026
Jolyon Palmer raised concerns during Bahrain testing about whether Lawson was ready to take on the role of team leader for Racing Bulls in 2026.
The New Zealander has the least experience of any number-one driver on the grid, with Lindblad coming in as the only rookie this season.
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner said: “They are very close to Red Bull Racing. So, if there is something they need to learn, they can learn it quicker because there are collaborations, legal ones, so it’s easy.
“I think Liam, now knowing that he is the senior driver, I think he will get back to his good old [best].
“I think staying calm and all that, and he showed last year that he can be at the level like Hadjar and Hadjar made it to Red Bull.”
Steiner pointed out that Racing Bulls have become a much more stable presence in the midfield recently. He added:
“So why should he not deliver, but I put it more down to… Racing Bulls over the last years got a lot more consistent in the midfield?”
Liam Lawson previews ‘exciting’ Australian Grand Prix for Racing Bulls
This time around, things look a bit different for him. Last season he was preparing for his debut alongside Max Verstappen after being called up late into pre-season testing at short notice.
The outing ended with an early exit from Q1 and a crash during the race – one of just two appearances before returning to Racing Bulls full-time later that year.
Now back at Albert Park without all those pressures hanging over him and holding a more established role within his current setup – things feel more settled heading into this campaign opener against Lindblad across what should be an exciting weekend overall.
Sitting down with media ahead of this week’s action at Albert Park , Lawson described how much has changed since then: “It’s just a lot of unknowns right now,”
“It’s obviously exciting to see what these new cars bring to the sport, but for us, it’s definitely a different feeling to where I came in last year, right at the end of a regulation period, so the cars were fully developed.
“This year, we’re still figuring them out, so it’s going to be very interesting.”
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