Lawson self-critical: 'Three good races' is not enough to stay in F1

Still, Lawson’s demotion has put him into a car that, ironically, is easier to manage than Red Bull’s.

Lawson wants to capitalise on the VCARB 02’s competitiveness and secure his position at Red Bull’s second team.

Why Lawson must end the season strongly

Even in a best-case scenario, Lawson is unlikely to be put back into the Red Bull seat.

Isack Hadjar, the Kiwi’s younger teammate, is almost certainly higher on the list of candidates to race alongside Verstappen.

Unless Lawson performs at a substantially higher level than Hadjar, the young Frenchman’s market value should remain higher.

Still, this is not to say there are not opportunities in the second half of the season.

To a large extent, Lawson will be aiming to solidify himself at VCARB in a similar fashion to Pierre Gasly after his demotion in 2019.

Getting back into the Red Bull seat, as already mentioned is not a probable scenario.

History teaches that the Austrian outfit do not give second chances to those who are promoted to the main team.

Even drivers that have gone on to establish themselves in F1, like Alex Albon, were not given time to re-assert themselves at Red Bull.

Still, Lawson can be what Pierre Gasly – and to some extent Yuki Tsunoda – was for Red Bull.

If he outperforms Hadjar in the remaining months, he can set himself as a solid benchmark for the Milton Keynes team.

By achieving this, regardless of whether Hadjar or Lawson race alongside him, the 23-year-old can stay on the grid for another season.

Not only is staying in Formula 1 the obvious target for any driver at any time, but racing on the 2026 grid is of particular importance.

Should Lawson earn another season with VCARB, he will be in a position to capitalise on what could be a very hectic driver market next year.

Lawson self-critical

With the second half of the season yet to unfold, the 23-year-old is clear about his targets.

As quoted by 1news, the VCARB driver wants to consistently finish in the points over the coming rounds:

“It’s not enough,” said Lawson when reflecting on his points finish in Belgium.

“We need to be doing it on nearly every weekend if that’s the target.

“To have two or three of those races over the first half of the season is not enough.

“So obviously, going forward to the second half of the year, we’re trying to replicate this more…

“I think as a whole we need to be doing that more. To have two or three of those races over the first half of the season is not enough.”