F1 star addresses Max Verstappen 'revenge' theory as he admits 'cool feeling'

Liam Lawson has denied any hints of revenge after finishing ahead of former team-mate Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls starlet enjoyed his best Saturday of the season so far at the Red Bull Ring. Lawson spent two races alongside Verstappen at Red Bull before being dropped back into the sister team ahead of this season's Japanese Grand Prix, dealing a brutal blow to the New Zealander's confidence.

His stock has been further affected by the form of rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar, who is excelling with the Racing Bulls squad. However, on Saturday, Lawson had his moment in the sun. The Kiwi was rapid throughout practice and the early qualifying sessions and converted that pace into a P6 starting grid spot, ahead of both Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.

Asked if there was a sense of revenge after out-qualifying the reigning world champion, Lawson replied: "It's not revenge, no. I haven't really raced him at all, so... It's a good position obviously, we maximised today, but I obviously don't expect to be racing tomorrow with some of the guys around us.

"But some of the guys behind, for sure we're going to be trying to keep that. It doesn't feel bad, obviously it's a cool feeling. It's just for me, more proud of the team for a lot of hard work recently especially, and a lot of work around my side, to make me more comfortable in the car and help things suit me. And I think today reflected that."

Lawson's next challenge is to convert his qualifying performance into points. The 23-year-old has recorded just one top-10 finish so far in 2025 - an eighth-place finish around the streets of Monaco - leaving him 18th in the Drivers' Championship standings heading into the Austrian GP.

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The New Zealander is also fighting for his future on the grid. With Yuki Tsunoda floundering since replacing Lawson at Red Bull, rookie Hadjar turning heads with his consistency and teenage starlet Arvid Lindblad scrapping for the Formula Two championship, it is anyone's guess how Christian Horner's teams will look in 2026.

Then there is the matter of Verstappen's future. The Dutchman has been linked with a sensational switch to Mercedes, and George Russell poured fuel on the flames in Spielberg when he revealed that talks are already taking place.

Should he ditch his current Red Bull family, Horner would be left scrambling to put together a competitive line-up for 2026. It is imperative, then, that Lawson establishes himself as the man to beat at Racing Bulls if he is to secure a fairytale return to the Milton Keynes squad next year.