Liam Lawson’s rocky road to F1

Liam Lawson’s wait on the sidelines is over. He can finally call himself a full-time Formula One driver. Red Bull has confirmed that the New Zealander will replace Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls for the rest of the 2024 season and will continue to race for them in 2025.

Lawson’s journey to F1 was anything but easy. Growing up near the Pukekohe circuit in New Zealand, he started with go-karting before moving to Europe at the age of 16 to compete in the German F4 championship. His parents made huge sacrifices to support his dream, including selling their house.

“My parents sold their house so that I could keep racing. It’s massive. They gave absolutely everything for me to be able to race, even just go-karts because it’s so expensive,” Lawson shared on Talking Bull podcast.

Despite showing promise in Europe, Lawson was not immediately picked up by an F1 junior academy, so he returned to New Zealand to compete in the Toyota Winter Series without a clear plan for his career. “Being from New Zealand, trying to get the money to compete overseas is really, really hard,” Lawson recalled.

Lawson’s fortunes changed when Red Bull’s Helmut Marko noticed his talent during the 2019 Toyota Racing Series. Marko was scouting Lucas Auer, but Lawson’s strong performance earned him a call-up to the Red Bull junior team. “I was sitting in a cafe… I was told, and it was obviously pretty emotional,” Lawson said. “It saved my career.”

Lawson then continued to prove his worth in F3, F2 and even in the German DTM sportscar championship. His breakthrough came in 2023 when he replaced Ricciardo after the Australian’s wrist injury, making a notable impact, especially in Singapore, where he scored points in a difficult race (picture-below).

Now, with Lawson’s journey to F1 solidified, he faces the challenge of competing against Yuki Tsunoda and potentially securing a future Red Bull seat, continuing his remarkable story of perseverance and sacrifice.