Liam Lawson kept saying the same thing to the F1 media about his confidence at the Monaco Grand Prix

Liam Lawson finally got off the mark in 2025 with an impressive performance at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Reaching Q3 for the first time this season, the New Zealander qualified ninth on the grid before finishing P8 in the race. The result marks Lawson’s best finish in F1 to date as he put four points on the board for Racing Bulls.

The Faenza outfit looked competitive all weekend, despite Isack Hadjar hitting the wall twice in FP2. The Frenchman put that behind him to qualify sixth ahead of Lawson, before being bumped to fifth after Lewis Hamilton was penalised for impeding Max Verstappen.

With the modern era of F1 cars, overtaking at the Monaco Grand Prix is almost impossible, meaning grid position is vital on Sunday. The mandatory two-pit stop directive failed to spice things up, but it allowed Racing Bulls to execute a smart strategy to put 12 points on the board.

Lawson acted as a buffer to rookie teammate Hadjar, allowing him to bridge the gap between the rest of the midfield. This clever tactic saw the duo maintain position and help Racing Bulls leapfrog Aston Martin in the standings, who failed to score points in Monaco.

While he was overshadowed by a brilliant display from his teammate, Lawson will take a lot of confidence from the weekend into the rest of the season, even if he gave nothing away in the media pen.

Liam Lawson was ‘playing it down’ when the F1 media asked about his confidence in Monaco

Just two races into the season, Lawson lost his seat at Red Bull after failing to score points or reach Q2 in that time.

The 23-year-old became the next driver to struggle in the second car next to Verstappen as he found no feeling in the RB21’s setup. With Yuki Tsunoda replacing him from Japan onwards, Lawson lost total confidence at Red Bull.

It was clear that the demotion to Racing Bulls was playing on his mind as he struggled to find results in the VCARB 02. Meanwhile, Hadjar was regularly getting into Q3 and scoring consistent points.

Monaco was a step in the right direction, with F1 fans giving Lawson the nickname ‘The Shield’ for his work in protecting Hadjar during the race. His confidence will have been given a boost, but journalist Ian Parkes says the Kiwi driver kept ‘playing it down’ when asked by the media.

“Not got that much in terms of major talking points. Again, Liam Lawson scored his first points,” he said via RacingNews365.

“This weekend will certainly have done something for confidence, even though every time he was asked about it on Saturday and Sunday, he was like playing it down. Certainly not really biting on the question.”

READ MORE:Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Liam Lawson must keep up his Monaco performance to stay in F1 in 2026

Lawson playing down whether his confidence has improved after Monaco may suggest that he believes the weekend was a one-off. He simply must continue the momentum from the Grand Prix to stay on the grid.

Lawson is contracted until the end of 2025, with rumours already swirling around the paddock about his future in the sport come 2026.

He could even lose his seat before then, as paddock rumours suggest Lawson could be replaced by Arvid Lindblad before the end of the season. The Brit is waiting in the wings in F2 as Red Bull work to get him an FIA superlicence.

Jenson Button has urged Lawson to rebuild his confidence if he wants to avoid being ‘trounced’ by Hadjar at Racing Bulls. Monaco was an encouraging step, but he must find more to get the better of his teammate.