Liam Lawson has spent the past three Formula 1 weekends with an unusual problem: preparing for a race without knowing for certain which car he would actually be driving.
The Racing Bulls driver was drafted back into Red Bull duty for the three rounds following Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury, leaving Lawson effectively straddling both sides of the Red Bull operation.
While he raced alongside Max Verstappen, he also had to remain ready to jump back into the VCARB 03 in the event that Hadjar would suddenly return to active duty.
That meant extra simulator work, additional factory time and, perhaps most awkwardly, having to mentally prepare for two very different cars right up until the last few days before a grand prix.
"Yeah, it's a lot of time in the factory and doing a lot of extra preparation," Lawson told media after the Spanish Grand Prix. "This week off won't be much of a week off."
Two cars, one driver
The physical workload was only part of the challenge. Lawson also had to keep switching his mindset between the RB22 and the Racing Bulls, with Hadjar’s return still uncertain ahead of the next round in Azerbaijan.
Asked whether he was looking forward to finally returning to his regular Racing Bulls if Hadjar was cleared to race, Lawson admitted that the uncertainty itself had become one of the more difficult aspects of the situation.
©Red Bull
"It's more the prep – doing prep for both is a bit difficult, and getting used to different cars," he replied when asked if he was looking forward to the prospect of returning to his usual car.
The problem is that there is little certainty over when that decision will actually arrive. Red Bull is expected to wait as long as possible before determining whether Hadjar is fit to return, potentially leaving Lawson once again preparing for two completely different scenarios in the run-up to Baku.
"Coming to the end of the weekend, I feel quite comfortable in this car, but I think just going forward, it's the unknown all the way up to the race weekends — probably all the way up to Wednesday or Thursday for Baku will be potentially when that's decided — that's quite tricky to mentally prepare for what car I drive.
"But at the same time, like I said, the more time I drive this, I get more comfortable. Going back now will be quite tough... [because] it's completely different to drive."
That final point perhaps underlines the peculiar nature of Lawson’s current assignment. Rather than simply swapping between two Red Bull-backed cars, he has been asked to repeatedly recalibrate himself to machines with very different characteristics while simultaneously competing at the highest level.
Lawson making his case
Yet the inconvenience has come with an obvious upside. Lawson has delivered a respectable three-race spell alongside Verstappen, scoring points in two of the three grands prix and steadily becoming more comfortable in the RB22.
After the frustrations surrounding his brief Red Bull promotion last season before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, the opportunity has offered Lawson a chance to show that his potential was not exhausted by that difficult episode.
©Red Bull
Reflecting on the three-round stint, Lawson was encouraged by the trajectory, even if there was still a sense of what might have been at the Madring.
"It's been overall quite positive; managed to score in two of the three.
"Monza was tough, just with the whole layout of the weekend with the engine penalty, and then obviously having damage in the race really ruined it for us.
Read also: Hadjar F1 comeback takes shape as Red Bull issues update"But I think overall we've had good speed. This weekend was the first time where I felt like we could really fight in qualifying and fight at the front.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get it together in Q3, but we had good speed, so it's got better each weekend."
For now, then, Lawson’s unusual balancing act is not quite over.
Until Hadjar is officially cleared, the New Zealander has to keep preparing for two possibilities – even as his performances in the RB22 make the question of where he belongs in the Red Bull family increasingly interesting.
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