Liam Lawson’s Formula One achievement is testament to his raw talent

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Liam Lawson’s long journey to a Formula One seat has highlighted one of the oddest things about motorsport.

Lawson will drive the last six races of the 2025 season for Racing Bulls, the subsidiary team of Red Bull. As expected, he replaces Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

Part of following elite sport is the knowledge that you are watching the best athletes in the world. When Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred crossed the line in the men’s and women’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics, sports fans knew they’d seen the fastest humans on the planet doing what they do best.

All Blacks fans might have wild (and sometimes well-informed) theories about selections, but they can rest assured that Ardie Savea won’t be dropped because one of the key sponsors wants to see someone else in the black jersey.

The same is not true in F1, where selection of drivers is based on many things and merit is only one of them.

Among the Red Bull stable of drivers, top dog Max Verstappen is the best in the business – mark that one down to talent. His teammate Sergio Perez is very good, but the fact the Mexican brings a sizable fanbase to the sport from his homeland and across the Americas has helped to keep him in the second Red Bull seat.

For Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate, the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, as long as the team’s engines come from Honda, his chances of holding a place are stronger.

The departing RB driver, Ricciardo, has been an ebullient talent and was earlier in his career a genuine contender to win the drivers’ championship. But as his results waned on the track, his celebrity grew courtesy of the Netflix series Drive To Survive. Ricciardo recognised the opportunity to be candid and funny when talking about his own ambitions and his failings. The public loved him.

That small-screen celebrity has been a factor in the Aussie’s appeal to Red Bull Racing, after he had already failed with McLaren.

All of this makes Lawson’s achievement even more remarkable. He’s had financial support from philanthropic Kiwi motorsport enthusiasts, but his background is a long way from the sons of billionaires who have landed F1 seats in the past.

The Kiwi doesn’t bring a massive fanbase (like the Perez), nor is there an engine supplier based in his hometown of Pukekohe that is likely to cut ahead of Honda. He’s not a billionaire’s kid, like Lance Stroll over at Aston Martin.

Lawson might have learned from Ricciardo that being a sassy wisecracker helps, but his best chance of sustaining a Formula One career is his skill as a driver. Ricciardo’s wisecracking became less funny and less audible the further back he dropped on the grid.

Raw talent is Lawson’s asset.