Liam Lawson Photo: Red Bull
"Pretty brutal" is the term Liam Lawson uses to describe the treatment of anyone wanting to drive a Formula One car, but he would not have it any other way.
From the age of 16, Lawson has been subject to the cut throat world of driver selection, which last year saw him rocketed up to the main show on 12 hours' notice - then unceremoniously shunted back down the order after only just over a month.
"I think that as you deal with that every year, especially from that age ... once you get to, you know, sort of the age I'm at now, I've kind of had that now for five years. And I think it definitely, definitely makes you stronger as a driver, especially trying to step into Formula One that it comes with a massive amount of pressure."
Lawson made his comments after an advance Auckland screening of Liam Lawson: In The Wings, a documentary produced by Red Bull that captured his rapid ascent from racing the Super Formula class in Japan to starting on the grid at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old started five F1 races for the AlphaTauri team last year, being called up to replace Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian driver broke his hand. Lawson's best place finish was ninth at the Singapore Grand Prix, and as In The Wings tells, it was the culmination of years of work and sacrifice by his family that saw Lawson go from driving go-karts to being watched by millions in one of the world's premier sporting events.
Liam Lawson in the Singapore Grand Prix. Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli
"It's always been my dream. So especially when I was younger and I moved away, I was just thinking about how excited I was to race in Europe that was always something that obviously I dreamed of doing … but I think the sacrifices really from my family as well, for my family size, both my parents, especially when I was younger [doing] go-kart racing, [they] sacrificed a lot, especially financially, to keep me racing."
It is easy to forget that the Hastings-born, Pukekohe-raised Lawson is only 21. He talks with a degree of confidence that is necessary to deal with what he calls "the monumental pressure" put on drivers.
"You're put under the pressure you put on it from a young age," he said.
"You're 16 years old and you're getting phone calls, being told basically if you don't perform on your next race, you're out of the programme. You just sort of [know] that from a young age [so it] is obviously quite stressful.
"You have the whole world looking at you. And I think without dealing with those high-pressure situations from a young age, I probably wouldn't have been so ready for it."
After his impressive entry into the world of F1, Lawson experienced the other side of the coin when he was swiftly overlooked in favour of Ricciardo and fellow incumbent Yuki Tsunoda. It is not something that Lawson is dwelling on.
Daniel Ricciardo (L) and Liam Lawson. Photo: photosport
"Looking back on it, honestly, I don't (think about it too much). It's hard to really remember every single detail just because of how busy it was. It's all a very blurry sort of time, 2023 completely.
"But it's not that it was unfair as well. You know generally there would be races where if I make a mistake, because obviously we all do, then you expect one of those kind of phone calls. So, there was always normally pretty good reason for it … in terms of I guess looking back at last season, we didn't quite get that championship."
Lawson is referring to his role in the Super Formula series, which races in Japan. His Team Mugen finished an agonising second in a championship that came down to the last race, but he said that the experience in Super Formula is close enough to F1 in overall speeds and lap times.
"I think the main difference is the power unit, it's basically a turbocharged engine, whereas in Formula One you have a hybrid system. So, you basically have the battery working alongside the turbo engine as well.
"But the weight of the cars is very different. It's much lighter formula. So overall speeds and the lap is quite close. Formula One is always going to be the pinnacle and always going to be the fastest. But the way they achieve them is quite different. Driving a very lightweight car compared to driving a heavy car with lots of power, they feel quite different."
Pierre Gasly of France and Alpine F1, Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Scuderia AlphaTauri, Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, Fernando Alonso of Spain and Aston Martin F1 Team and Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari attend the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore. Photo: Clive Rose
Lawson's goal for 2024 is simple: to get back into an F1 driver's seat, but it might be a bit of a wait. At present, he is a reserve driver for both Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB (formerly AlphaTauri) Formula 1 teams, with his fortunes looking dependent on the form of RB driver Sergio Perez. That could force a reshuffle with Ricciardo moving into the RB seat and Lawson shifting from reserve to the VCARB car.
That possibility is keeping Lawson hungry to once again assume the pressure that comes with racing the world's fastest cars in one of sport's most high-pressure environments. It's a lifestyle he says he's always wanted.
"I wanted to be the best and that I haven't grown out of that. It's still very much the case … it's about basically reaching the top of Formula One. And I think that's what is attractive about it."
