Former W Series driver and Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Naomi Schiff believes Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull has ultimately been the best thing for his career.
After Lawson was promoted to Red Bull to partner Max Verstappen for 2025, a challenging opening two rounds led to a swift demotion back to the sister outfit. Now firmly embedded in the Racing Bulls team, Lawson has rebuilt his reputation, scoring points in five of the first seven grands prix in 2026.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast following the recent Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Lawson picked up four points with an eighth-place finish, Schiff explained how the change of teams has allowed Lawson to flourish.
"We saw Liam Lawson barely getting his opportunity at the big team, and then he was sent back to RB, and actually, it was probably for the better of his career that he went back there because they are regularly in the points, as they were last year, and they seem to really be the team that's comfortably in the top 10.
"We obviously see Audi niggling at it a little bit and every now and again we have the Alpines in there, but RB really does, to me, feel like they are the best of the rest at the moment.
"And you constantly have Arvid Lindblad up there as well, and I just think we see them both thriving at the moment in that team. You know, they're happy drivers. They seem to be able to do their thing in the car, and they've delivered really well this year so far."
Lawson currently sits 10th in the drivers' championship with 28 points. His rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad sits 13th with 13 points. As a result, RB is sixth in the constructors' championship with 41 points.
