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Liam Lawson 'psychological effect' key to Red Bull F1 plan
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has explained how the team is aiding
the mental well-being of its employees, in part due to his
experience with Liam Lawson. Lawson was promoted to the senior Red
Bull team for 2025, but after just two races, was demoted back to
Racing Bulls, then under Mekies' control, with the Frenchman
heavily involved in aiding Lawson to rebuild his confidence, with
the New Zealander then aiding Racing Bulls to clinch sixth in the
constructors'. In the past, drivers have struggled mentally with
their demotion from the senior Red Bull team, with Daniil Kvyat
particularly broken in 2016, with the low point coming in a
particularly galling interview at the German GP. However, Mekies
has explained how the Red Bull under his command is trying to build
a supportive culture, and not just for the drivers, but also the
team members. "We are well aware that the psychological effect is
huge, but not just for that situation as well," Mekies explained at
the Autosport Business Exchange when questioned about how he
handled Lawson's return to Racing Bulls. "For any high-level
athlete, that last bit of performance is intimately linked to how
you feel, how you're supported and what is in your mind. "So we
are trying to support both our drivers with the best environment
possible for them to express their talent, but it is the same
spirit as for any of our employees. "In the same way you need to
create the environment for your drivers to express themselves and
go fast, you need to create an environment for your engineers,
mechanics and staff to express their potential. "Red Bull's spirit
is reducing the noise, focusing on pure racing and joy, and we have
a saying from Red Bull, which is, 'happy? Absolutely. Satisfied?
Absolutely not." "That is how we take all the good and bad [things]
which are coming our way."
