Red Bull star claims 2026 cars will make F1 'completely different'... but he hasn't driven one yet

Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson, generic, Baku, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026

Red Bull star claims 2026 cars will make F1 'completely different'... but he hasn't driven one yet

Liam Lawson: maybe psychic?

Chris Deeley

Thursday 15 January 2026 11:56

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Red Bull and Racing Bulls will give the public a first look at their 2026 cars late on Thursday night, but one of their drivers has admitted that he hasn't stepped foot in the new machinery yet.

Liam Lawson is practically a Racing Bulls veteran at this point, running at least five races for the team in three successive years, but he's yet to get his first feel of the car he'll be driving in his fourth season.

That's not necessarily the red flag it might sound like though, because Thursday night's unveiling is more about the livery than the machinery.

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With testing time now very limited and simulator tech better than ever, teams can run right up to the point of on-track tests in Barcelona before they need an actually drivable car – and even then, they won't roll a fully specced up 2026 model until it's time to stamp on the go pedal in Melbourne in March.

Lawson: 2026 cars will be a whole new spectacle

Speaking in his native New Zealand this week, the Kiwi admitted: “I haven't driven the new car myself yet. So far, I've only seen it in the simulator, and it feels completely different. Without giving too much away, I think it will be a whole new spectacle for the fans.”

Speaking about the sweeping regulation changes, he added: “It’s an opportunity, when you have every regulation change like this, it sort of allows, and maybe creates a window for us as drivers to put a little bit more effort in, or have that sort of opportunity to develop a car a little bit.

Lawson will be racing alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad this year, and admitted: “Maybe there’s a bit more of a leadership role expected, but at the same time, it’s a new year of new cars. It’s my second year, obviously, in Formula 1.

“So I’ve learned a huge amount in the one year that I’ve done. I’m definitely grateful going into the season with everything I learned last year. But with new cars, it’s going to be something that we’re both going to be tackling together.”

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