Motorsport: Liam Lawson to drive Formula 1 demonstration laps for Red Bull at Bathurst

Liam Lawson will drive the Red Bull RB7 at Bathurst next weekend. Photo / Getty

Liam Lawson’s first opportunity behind a Formula 1 car this year has arrived early, with the young Kiwi driver set to take the wheel at Bathurst next weekend.

As part of the Bathurst 12-Hour event, Lawson will drive the Red Bull RB7 at the famous New South Wales venue - the same car Sebastian Vettel drove to a championship in 2011 - for some demonstration laps.

“My first time to Bathurst,” Lawson said. “To drive a car like that around there is probably going to be a little bit scary but we’re not there to break any records, we’re there for demonstration runs.

“It’ll be very cool to show people the car. I’ll definitely be leaving margin at that place.”

With the event taking place from February 3-5, Lawson will drive the RB7 on Saturday afternoon in a demonstration session between the two qualifying segments for the 12-Hour. The F1 laps are expected to be shown live on TV as part of the broadcast.

It won’t be the first time Lawson has been behind the wheel of the RB7, having driven it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK in 2021.

Lawson said that experience was the “most emotional” time he had had while driving a car, given what Vettel achieved with it.

“I remember watching Sebastien Vettel and Red Bull as a whole dominate those four years and I love those cars. It was very cool to step into that one.”

The opportunity comes as Lawson prepares for a season in Japan, moving on from two solid seasons in Formula 2 to compete in Super Formula in 2023.

“It’s a great step for me to do,” Lawson told the Herald late last year. “Formula 2, I haven’t enjoyed too much. It’s been quite a battle and this is a great step towards Formula 1; the car’s faster and the championship’s very high-level which is cool. I’m excited.”

While he will be competing in Japan, Lawson will retain his reserve roles with the Scuderia AlphaTauri and Red Bull Formula 1 teams this year, a role he is expected to share at the latter with eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, who signed on with the team in a back-up role after over a decade on the grid. There was some speculation that Australian Ricciardo would be the one to drive the laps at Bathurst after Red Bull did not initially name who would be taking the wheel, however, it will be the young Kiwi getting the run instead.

Lawson was the reserve driver for both teams in 2022, and got the opportunity to drive in some practice laps as part of the Formula 1′s rookie development initiative in which every team was required to have a rookie drive run in two practice sessions throughout the year.

Lawson got three of these sessions - two with AlphaTauri and one with Red Bull.