Lawson’s Point-less Start Continues After Miami Disaster: “It’ll Click Eventually”
- Ethan
- May 8
- 3 min read
The 2025 Formula 1 season is starting to feel like a string of false starts for Liam Lawson, whose promising speed continues to be overshadowed by misfortune and missed opportunities. Miami was meant to be a turning point — but instead, it marked another frustrating DNF, leaving the Racing Bulls driver still without a single championship point this year.
A Strong Start, A Crushed Finish
Lawson’s Miami weekend began with hope. He finished in the points on the road during Saturday’s Sprint — only to be slapped with a five-second penalty for contact with Fernando Alonso, demoting him out of the top eight. Still, it was arguably his sharpest weekend yet, and confidence was growing heading into the main race.
But Sunday unraveled in just seconds.
“I had a really good launch,” Lawson recalled. “A gap opened up into Turn 1, I went for it… and then I just felt a hit from the side.”
That hit came from Jack Doohan, who tagged Lawson into a spin at the very first corner. Lawson continued for another 35 laps, but with a destroyed floor and heavily damaged sidepod, the car was beyond repair. He was eventually forced to retire — another DNF, and another brutal blow to his 2025 campaign.
“It was pretty horrendous,” Lawson told media. “It’s not a nice feeling. You’re basically just in for a long afternoon... the car was broken anyway.”
“It’ll Click Eventually” — But When?
Despite being one of the more anticipated young drivers heading into 2025, Lawson has yet to show it on the leaderboard. He now has two DNFs and zero points to his name this season, even as Racing Bulls have demonstrated strong qualifying pace and flashes of mid-race competitiveness.
He remains publicly optimistic:
“We’ve done a g#ood job as a team. The car has been fast, and our weekend approach was really strong. We have to keep working forwards and improving — it’ll click eventually.”
But the pressure is quietly mounting.
Lawson’s time as Red Bull’s top prospect was once seen as inevitable. After stepping in impressively for Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) in late 2023, there was genuine buzz about his long-term F1 future. Now, midway through 2025’s first leg, he’s in a midfield car with potential, yet continues to exit races empty-handed.
Missed Opportunity or Mounting Pressure?
Lawson’s on-track performances have been mixed — sharp overtakes and strong launches followed by errors, collisions, or technical misfortune. But with Red Bull’s junior pipeline constantly under scrutiny, time isn’t a luxury Lawson can bank on.
Compare that to his former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, now a more consistent presence in the points, or even Franco Colapinto, who’s just been handed a five-race trial at Alpine, replacing Jack Doohan as part of the team’s ongoing evaluation process.
These mid-season changes serve as a reminder: in today’s F1, seats aren’t guaranteed — even halfway through the calendar.
Looking Ahead: Europe is Critical
With the European leg of the calendar about to begin — including familiar tracks like Imola, Monaco, and Spain — Lawson knows he must deliver.
Racing Bulls aren’t short on pace, and the midfield is tight enough that a single good weekend could turn the tide. But to make that happen, Lawson needs to do more than show glimpses. He needs to finish races. He needs to score.
And fast.
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