Liam Lawson
| Liam Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Lawson at the 2019 FIA F3 Austrian Grand Prix | |
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| Born | 11 February 2002 Hastings, New Zealand |
| FIA Formula 2 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2021 |
| Current team | Hitech Grand Prix |
| Car number | 7 |
| Starts | 23 (24 entries) |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 9th in 2021 |
| Previous series | |
| 2021 2019–20 2019–20 2019 2018 2018 2017 2016–17 | DTM FIA Formula 3 Championship Toyota Racing Series Euroformula Open Championship F3 Asian Championship ADAC Formula 4 Australian F4 Championship NZ F1600 Championship Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 2019 2016–17 | Toyota Racing Series NZ F1600 Championship Series |
Liam Lawson (born 11 February 2002) is a New Zealand motor racing driver, mentored by three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner Ken Smith. He is a previous Toyota Racing Series champion and member of the Red Bull Junior Team,[1][2][3] currently driving for the Hitech Grand Prix team in the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship.[4] In 2021, he also raced for the Red Bull AF Corse team in the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship, partnering Alex Albon.
Career[]
Karting[]
Born in Hastings but raised in Pukekohe, Lawson began karting at the age of seven, competing in numerous championships across New Zealand, including two karting titles in 2014.[5][6][7][8][9]
Lower formula[]
In 2015, Lawson made his single-seater debut in the Formula First Manfield Winter Series with Sabre Motorsport, taking a win and ten podiums to finish second overall.[10] A few months later, he joined Sabre to contest the NZ Formula First championship, taking a win and three podiums on his way to sixth in the championship and the Rookie of the Year title.[11][12][13] The following year, Lawson graduated to the NZ F1600 Championship Series.[14] There he dominated proceedings, claiming fourteen of the fifteen victories on offer to become the youngest champion in not just the series' history, but the youngest ever Formula Ford champion in world at the time.[15]
In 2017, Lawson moved up to the Australian F4 championship with BRM, taking five wins to finish as vice-champion in only his rookie season.[16][17] The following year, Lawson remained at Formula 4 level, moving across to contest the ADAC Formula 4 championship with Van Amersfoort Racing and received backing from Turner's, the New Zealand used car network that had previously sponsored IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.[18][19] Claiming three wins and three pole positions, Lawson's performances saw him claim his second consecutive F4 vice-champion position.[20]
Toyota Racing Series[]
In November 2018, Lawson joined M2 Competition for the 2019 championship.[21] Lawson dominated on debut at Highlands, taking 2 races wins by over nine-seconds each and won the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy as a result of winning Race 3.[22][23] Claiming three additional wins across the season, Lawson secured the title at the New Zealand Grand Prix after a season long battle with Ferrari junior and fellow countryman Marcus Armstrong.[2]
Euroformula Open Championship[]
Lawson had been set to join the inaugural season of the Formula European Masters with Motopark, alongside fellow Red Bull Junior Yuki Tsunoda, but followed the German outfit to the Euroformula Open Championship when Formula European Masters was cancelled due to a lack of entrants.[24][25][26]
International Formula 3[]
In November 2018, Lawson competed in the season finale of the Asian F3 championship with Irish outfit Pinnacle Motorsport.[27] He proceeded to dominate the weekend, taking all wins, fastest laps and pole positions on offer to finish eighth in the championship.[28][29]
FIA Formula 3 Championship[]
In March 2019, Lawson joined MP Motorsport to contest the inaugural championship.[30] The season saw him claim two sprint race podiums at Silverstone and Monza and end the championship eleventh overall.[31][32]
The following year, Lawson switched to Hitech Grand Prix, joining fellow Red Bull Junior Dennis Hauger.[33] Lawson recorded his first victory in the Austrian race.[34]
Formula One[]
In February 2019, Lawson was named as a new recruit to the Red Bull Junior Team.[3]
Road to Indy[]
In December 2017, Lawson partook in the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout, finishing as the fastest driver but losing out on the scholarship to Ireland's Keith Donegan.[35][36][37]
DTM[]
Lawson competed in the 2021 DTM, driving a Red Bull-sponsored Ferrari for the AF Corse team alongside F1 reserve driver Alex Albon. He was taking part in the DTM concurrently with his first Formula 2 season.
On 19 June 2021, Lawson won the opening race of the 2021 DTM in Monza, becoming the youngest-ever race winner in the series.[38] After a spin in the second Monza race cost him a points finish, he finished second in both races at the Lausitzring in the next round, where he was leading the second race until a problem in the pits cost him a win.[39]
After failing to score points in three of the four races in the next two rounds, he got his second victory in the DTM on 4 September 2021 in the first race of the fifth round at the Red Bull Ring, which also marked the first time he started a DTM race from pole position.[40] The following day, he went on to claim his third victory in the DTM by winning the second race at the Red Bull Ring after starting from second position.[41]
After four podium finishes and a fourth-place finish in the next five races, Lawson qualified on pole position for the final race of the season at the Norisring. Prior to the start of the race, he was leading the drivers' championship by 19 points ahead of Kelvin van der Linde in second and 22 points ahead of Maximilian Götz in third, respectively.[42] However, Lawson's car was damaged in a first-lap collision with van der Linde, which left him lapping 20 seconds off the pace after re-joining the race. Towards the end of the race, Mercedes gave team orders to Lucas Auer, who dominated the race, and Philip Ellis to allow Götz to claim the lead and secure his third win of the season, which put him three points ahead of Lawson in the final standings for the drivers' championship.[43] After the race, Lawson was visibly disappointed with his second-place finish in the drivers' championship. He said he was "pushed off" by van der Linde and called the South African "the dirtiest guy [he's] ever raced against." Van der Linde was given a five-second penalty for the manoeuvre, prior to receiving a puncture in another battle with Götz in the closing stages of the race.[44]
FIA Formula 2 Championship[]
Lawson is currently competing in the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship as part of the Hitech Grand Prix team alongside Jüri Vips.[4] He finished first in the debut race of the season in Sakhir, Bahrain.[45] Lawson then went on to win the second sprint race in Monaco but was later stripped of his victory for using a prohibited throttle map at the start of the race, handing the win to Dan Ticktum. [46]
Racing record[]
Career summary[]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Formula First Manfeild Winter Series | Sabre Motorsport | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 631 | 2nd |
| 2015–16 | New Zealand Formula First Championship | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1028 | 6th | |
| 2016–17 | NZ F1600 Championship Series | Liam Lawson Motorsport | 15 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 605 | 1st |
| 2017 | Australian Formula 4 Championship | Team BRM | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 300 | 2nd |
| Victorian Formula Vee Championship | JRD | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 15th | |
| 2018 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | Van Amersfoort Racing | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 234 | 2nd |
| F3 Asian Championship | Pinnacle Motorsport | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 75 | 8th | |
| 2019 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | MP Motorsport | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 11th |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th | ||
| Euroformula Open Championship | Motopark | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 179 | 2nd | |
| Toyota Racing Series | M2 Competition | 15 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 356 | 1st | |
| 2020 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Hitech Grand Prix | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 143 | 5th |
| Toyota Racing Series | M2 Competition | 15 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 356 | 2nd | |
| 2021 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Hitech Grand Prix | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 103 | 9th |
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Red Bull AF Corse | 16 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 227 | 2nd |
Complete Australian Formula 4 Championship results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Team BRM | SAN1 1 2 |
SAN1 2 2 |
SAN1 3 1 |
SAN2 1 1 |
SAN2 2 2 |
SAN2 3 2 |
BAR 1 3 |
BAR 2 1 |
BAR 3 9 |
PHI 1 3 |
PHI 2 10 |
PHI 3 7 |
QLD 1 10 |
QLD 2 4 |
QLD 3 6 |
SYD 1 6 |
SYD 2 6 |
SYD 3 3 |
SUR 1 1 |
SUR 2 4 |
SUR 3 1 |
2nd | 300 |
Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Van Amersfoort Racing | OSC 1 3 |
OSC 2 17 |
OSC 3 17 |
HOC1 1 2 |
HOC1 2 2 |
HOC1 3 6 |
LAU 1 1 |
LAU 2 2 |
LAU 3 1 |
RBR 1 3 |
RBR 2 6 |
RBR 3 1 |
HOC2 1 2 |
HOC2 2 18 |
NÜR 1 6 |
NÜR 2 15 |
NÜR 3 14 |
HOC3 1 2 |
HOC3 2 3 |
HOC3 3 16 |
2nd | 234 |
Complete Toyota Racing Series results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | M2 Competition | HIG 1 1 |
HIG 2 5 |
HIG 3 1 |
TER 1 2 |
TER 2 C |
TER 3 C |
HMP 1 7 |
HMP 2 3 |
HMP 3 1 |
HMP 4 Ret |
TAU 1 1 |
TAU 2 2 |
TAU 3 3 |
TAU 4 3 |
MAN 1 2 |
MAN 2 5 |
MAN 3 1 |
1st | 356 |
| 2020 | M2 Competition | HIG 1 1 |
HIG 2 5 |
HIG 3 1 |
TER 1 6 |
TER 2 3 |
TER 3 1 |
HMP 1 2 |
HMP 2 2 |
HMP 3 Ret |
PUK 1 1 |
PUK 2 4 |
PUK 3 1 |
MAN 1 2 |
MAN 2 5 |
MAN 3 3 |
2nd | 356 |
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | MP Motorsport | CAT FEA NC |
CAT SPR 17 |
LEC FEA 9 |
LEC SPR 5 |
RBR FEA 14 |
RBR SPR 25 |
SIL FEA 8 |
SIL SPR 3 |
HUN FEA 16 |
HUN SPR 9 |
SPA FEA 12 |
SPA SPR 19 |
MNZ FEA 7 |
MNZ SPR 2 |
SOC FEA 18 |
SOC SPR 8 |
11th | 41 | ||
| 2020 | Hitech Grand Prix | RBR FEA 6 |
RBR SPR 1 |
RBR‡ FEA 8 |
RBR SPR Ret |
HUN FEA Ret |
HUN SPR Ret |
SIL FEA 1 |
SIL SPR 4 |
SIL FEA 3 |
SIL SPR 5 |
CAT FEA 2 |
CAT SPR 7 |
SPA FEA 9 |
SPA SPR 3 |
MNZ FEA 6 |
MNZ SPR 7 |
MUG FEA 10 |
MUG SPR 1 |
5th | 143 |
‡ Half points were awarded, as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed.
Complete Macau Grand Prix results[]
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  MP Motorsport
|
Dallara F3 2019 | 15th | 20th | 7th |
Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hitech Grand Prix | BHR SP1 1 |
BHR SP2 Ret |
BHR FEA 3 |
MCO SP1 9 |
MCO SP2 DSQ |
MCO FEA 7 |
BAK SP1 Ret |
BAK SP2 7 |
BAK FEA 6 |
SIL SP1 7 |
SIL SP2 5 |
SIL FEA 11 |
MNZ SP1 5 |
MNZ SP2 4 |
MNZ FEA Ret |
SOC SP1 Ret |
SOC SP2 C |
SOC FEA 7 |
JED SP1 2 |
JED SP2 Ret |
JED FEA 9‡ |
YMC SP1 5 |
YMC SP2 6 |
YMC FEA Ret |
9th | 103 |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results[]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 13 |
LAU 1 2 |
LAU 2 2 |
ZOL 1 Ret |
ZOL 2 3 |
NÜR 1 13 |
NÜR 2 Ret |
RBR 1 1 |
RBR 2 1 |
ASS 1 3 |
ASS 2 2 |
HOC 1 4 |
HOC 2 2 |
NOR 1 3 |
NOR 2 NC |
2nd | 227 |
References[]
- ^ Ashenhurst, Ryan (February 6, 2018). "76-Year-Old Kiwi Motorsport Legend Ken Smith Will Compete In The New Zealand Grand Prix". WTF1. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ a b Waring, Bethonie (February 10, 2019). "Lawson defeats Armstrong in New Zealand GP to secure TRS title". FormulaScout. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "Liam Lawson joins Juniors from all corners for global challenge". February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Liam Lawson". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ "Liam Lawson - Red Bull Junior Team". Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Pukekohe's Liam Lawson wins $50,000 SpeedSport Scholarship". May 29, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "TWO-IN-ONE FINAL FOR IKS THREE-WAY". 2014. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "2014 KartSport New Zealand National Schools' Championship". July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Foot on the pedal, an eye on the prize". June 23, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "LAWSON READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT". September 28, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "LAWSON LEADING ROOKIE AFTER CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT". October 9, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "LAWSON SET FOR HOMETOWN DEBUT AFTER MAIDEN FORMULA FIRST WIN". December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Pukekohe's Liam Lawson wins Rookie of the Year at NZ Formula First championship". April 8, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Liam Lawson Stepping Up To Formula Ford". May 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Youngest Formula 1600 champion – Liam Lawson". February 15, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "5 OPEN WHEEL YOUNG GUNS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING". June 5, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Liam Lawson wins opening Australia F4 round". April 8, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Liam Lawson joins Van Amersfoort Racing". March 19, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Turners & Liam Lawson Sponsorship". Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Pukekohe's Lawson claims runner-up in German F4 championship". October 2, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ Allen, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Liam Lawson gets Toyota Racing Series seat with M2 Competition". FormulaScout. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ https://www.driven.co.nz/news/motorsport/kiwi-1-2-liam-lawson-claims-toyota-racing-series-win-on-debut/
- ^ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12189716
- ^ Allen, Peter (February 18, 2019). "Liam Lawson signed to Red Bull Junior Team after TRS title, to race for Motopark in FEM". FormulaScout. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (April 2, 2019). "Motopark makes Euroformula Open switch, retains FEM line-up". FormulaScout. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Simmons, Marcus (March 22, 2019). "DTM-supporting Formula European Masters series for F3 cars cancelled". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (November 21, 2018). "Yifei Ye and Liam Lawson to make F3 debuts at Sepang this weekend". FormulaScout. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (November 24, 2018). "ADAC F4 star Liam Lawson stuns on Asian F3 debut at Sepang". FormulaScout. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (November 25, 2018). "Hyman wins Asian F3 title as Lawson completes triple win". FormulaScout. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Liam Lawson joins MP Motorsport for debut FIA F3 campaign". March 10, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "FORMULA 3: Pulcini pounces at Silverstone for first win of the season". July 14, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Terrific Tsunoda soars to first F3 win in Monza". September 8, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "RED BULL JUNIOR TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 2020 - NO STOPPING THE JUNIORS RACING AND WINNING INTO A NEW SEASON". January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ "WORLD WRAP: Piastri leads F3 Championship". Speed Cafe. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "MAZDA ROAD TO INDY SHOOT-OUT NEXT FOR LAWSON". November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (March 15, 2018). "New Zealand star Liam Lawson joins VAR for ADAC F4". FormulaScout. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Keith Donegan wins Mazda Road to Indy Shootout". December 11, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Ferrari triumphs at home track in maiden DTM race". DTM.com. 2021-06-19.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (26 July 2021). "Lawson takes blame for slow pitstop, losing DTM race lead". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (4 September 2021). "Red Bull Ring DTM: Lawson reignites title challenge with win". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (5 September 2021). "Red Bull Ring DTM: Lawson holds off Wittmann for double win". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (10 October 2021). "Norisring DTM: Lawson beats van der Linde to pole for finale". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (10 October 2021). "Norisring DTM: Gotz wins title after Mercedes imposes team orders". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit; Haidinger, Sven (11 October 2021). "Lawson hits out at "idiot" van der Linde after losing DTM title". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Red Bull junior Lawson wins on F2 debut in Bahrain · RaceFans". RaceFans. 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ "Lawson stripped of Monaco F2 sprint win, Ticktum inherits victory". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
External links[]
- Official website
- Liam Lawson career summary at DriverDB.com
|
- 2002 births
- Living people
- New Zealand racing drivers
- Formula Ford drivers
- Formula 4 drivers
- ADAC Formula 4 drivers
- Toyota Racing Series drivers
- FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers
- F3 Asian Championship drivers
- FIA Formula 2 Championship drivers
- Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers
- Van Amersfoort Racing drivers
- M2 Competition drivers
- MP Motorsport drivers
- Motopark Academy drivers
- Hitech Grand Prix drivers
- AF Corse drivers