Speaking on the latest episode of the KTM Summer Grill, Lawson explained that discussions around his future had been ongoing for several weeks, but clarity only arrived after Qatar when he sat down with Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane.
“I think the final sort of say was after the race in Qatar,” Lawson said.
“I sat down with Alan, which is cool for him to be able to tell me as well that we will be obviously working together next year.”
Lawson said arriving at the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi with certainty over his position helped remove a layer of pressure after what he described as an “intense” season.
“It’s been a very busy year. A very intense year,” he said.
“And to come to this weekend now with obviously that knowledge of next year as well makes it a bit nicer.
“I’m excited to get to work on the challenges of next year.”
The confirmation followed a campaign that produced seven points finishes, with Lawson collecting 38 points and recording several standout results, including a fifth-place finish in Baku after qualifying a career-best third.
While encouraged by the overall season, which saw the 23-year-old demoted to Racing Bulls after starting with the senior Red Bull team for the first two races, Lawson said the biggest gains came in the second half of the year as consistency improved.
“Even at the start of the year [with Racing Bulls] was already quite good,” he said.
“I think at the start there was no question of if we were going to have a good result. It wasn’t we were struggling that much, but I think it was just the consistency trying to put it together.
“And I think that’s something we found in a few ways, but mainly in some stuff that we found in the car.
“Making it a bit more comfortable for me to drive around Austria. That made a big difference.”
With the current regulation cycle ending, Lawson acknowledged there are elements of the existing cars he will miss as the sport heads into a new era in 2026.
“The speed mainly,” he explained.
“I think the speed has been, you know, the end of any era of regulations obviously the cars are fully developed. And right now as sometimes uncomfortable as they are to drive, they’re very, very fast.
“So that’ll be something that I think is going to be a bit of a change probably going into next year from where we start.”
He added that his exposure to the 2026 cars had been limited to simulator work, with the team focused on the fight for sixth in the constructors’ championship in the closing races — a battle they ultimately won over Aston Martin by just three points.
Lawson’s own points haul in 2025 was the highest by a New Zealand driver since Denny Hulme in 1972, a milestone that has further elevated his profile back home.
Despite that, he said recognition in New Zealand remains relatively understated.
“That’s what I like as well about going home. It’s something that I really feel,” he said.
“You know, the support is something that I really, I see a lot of obviously, with messages and around even some of these races, which is amazing to see from how far away New Zealand is.
“But that support I feel, and when I go home and I get to see everybody and those kind of interactions are pretty positive for me.”
He also pointed to the wider success of New Zealand drivers across global motorsport, after earlier this year calling it a ‘golden era,’ citing strong performances in categories such as Supercars and NASCAR, as well as backing his praise of Matthew Payne after correctly predicting him as the Bathurst winner.
“I just know how good he is,” Lawson said of Payne.
“Honestly, in any championship at the moment, if you look around and whether it’s IndyCar or even in NASCAR with Shane [van Gisbergen] on road courses what he’s done this year, I feel like the country’s excelling and punching above its weight.
“And that’s it’s cool to see.”
Lawson said he was looking forward to returning home in the off-season, where he may race Van Gisbergen in a dirt track event and enjoy downtime with his family over Christmas.
“Eat lots of food,” he said when asked about his Christmas plans.
“It’s something that I look forward to every year because I don’t get to see my family at all.
“So to go home and see everybody, we have some very cool stuff planned as well.
“We’re going to spend some time at the beach because it’s summertime obviously.
“And yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
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