Liam Lawson has admitted that driving in Formula One has come at a great personal cost, revealing the impact on his mental health after his demotion from Red Bull.

## What happened to Liam Lawson at Red Bull?

Liam Lawson secured a surprise promotion to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull ahead of the 2025 season, but was demoted after just two races.

He moved back to junior team Racing Bulls, where he currently has a seat, with replacement Yuki Tsunoda later losing his seat at Red Bull at the end of the season.

## How did Liam Lawson feel about his demotion?

Lawson opened up about his F1 journey and the personal cost competing in the sport has had on his mental health, stating that it has cost him his overall happiness.

He said: “It sounds quite sad, but it’s probably just happiness.

“I think people probably think you’re a lot happier because of the position I’m in – and don’t get me wrong, I understand how lucky I am to be here, but because of that thing that we’re so focused and driven towards, I feel like I’m not happy until I do it or until I achieve it.

## What did Liam Lawson learn from his experience?

Lawson shockingly revealed that, despite rumours of his exit circulating before it was announced, he had no idea that it was actually going to happen, trusting his team and believing the rumours to be “classic F1 rumours”.

He added that the decision was a surprise to him after the team had tried a radical new set up during his final Red Bull race in China on December 2024.

And he remembered thinking: “What? If you told me before the race, ‘Okay we’re going to run this crazy car for your last race in a Red Bull, or we’re going to run the setup that you’ve run a weekend’. What do you think I would have said?

That, at the time, was like a really hard thing to deal with, especially after the Japanese Grand Prix, where Yuki Tsunoda is from, and the rumours started to circulate.

But Lawson has happy moments, and it’s not that he’s not happy all the time, but it’s overall in life, at the moment, that he feels the impact of his F1 journey.

So for him, it’s probably just overall happiness that he feels is missing, despite being in a position that many would consider lucky.

Lawson’s experience serves as a reminder of the ruthless nature of Formula One, where drivers can see their hopes of making it into one of the 22 available seats realised and shattered within just weeks or months.

The 2026 season is yet to see a driver lose their seat, but the rumour mill is already up and running with several drivers linked with exits as the summer break rapidly approaches.

Liam Lawson’s story is one of perseverance and dedication, as he continues to drive for Racing Bulls, with a seat that he currently holds, and a determination to succeed in the competitive world of Formula One.