September 26, 2024 • 11 mins
After a year of waiting, Formula One’s worst-kept secret has been confirmed: Liam Lawson will finish the rest of this season driving for Racing Bulls.
The 22-year-old has been locked in to drive for the subsidiary team of Red Bull at the expense of Australian Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the season, after which he’s expected to secure the spot for the 2025 season.
The move means Lawson will step into the Racing Bulls cockpit for Formula One’s next Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 21 (NZT). He becomes the first New Zealander to secure a fulltime seat in Formula One since Brendon Hartley in 2018.
In a world exclusive interview with Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, Lawson said that it finally feels real.
“Obviously I had, I knew about it for the last sort of... probably two weeks, but until it’s out there to the world, it’s, it obviously doesn’t ever really feel set in stone.”
“It’s a very cool feeling.”
Lawson told Hosking that he hasn’t had time to celebrate yet, as the news has come in at a very challenging point.
“Obviously, you know, all these guys have done three quarters of a season now, so I have to try and compete with that now, at tracks that I haven't done as well. So it's gonna be challenging.”
“it's very, very special, but we don't have much time to, to really let it sink in,” he said.
“We're getting straight to work.”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So it's not like it hasn't been coming for a while,
and it's not like there and haven't been the rumors
and the stories and the trials and the tribulations along
the way, But overnight confirmation that Liam Lawson has made
it to f one in his own seat, his own drive,
his chance to put himself into the history books in
a sport this country has played an outside role in
since names like McLaren and Hulm forge their reputation. So
(00:20):
what's it like to finally get the deal done? Liam
Lawson is with us? Good morning, good morning, how are
you doing very well? Congratulations? How does it feel?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you? It's it now?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Finally does sort of feel real? Obviously I had I
knew about it for the last sort of the last
probably two weeks, but until it's out there to the world,
it's obviously doesn't ever really feel set in stone, and
I couldn't tell anybody.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
So no, it's a very cool feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Who told you? And how does it work? Is Helmet involved?
Christian involved? How does it work?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It had been it had been the plan for a
long time now where this was sort of where it
was leading at least or you know, obviously I had
a contract date that that needed to be sort of fulfilled,
so they basically it was always going towards this way,
and then a couple of weeks ago basically they told
me this is what was going to happen, and then
(01:18):
basically not long after that, it was basically set in stone.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So, yeah, have you celebrated?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Uh not really, I'll be sound very happy, but.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
You know, it's it's it's six rounds left of the season,
so I've come in at a you know, difficult time.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
It's going to be a very challenging point. Obviously.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
You know, all these guys have done three quarters of
a season now, so I have to try and try
and compete with that now at tracks that I haven't
done as well, So it's going to be challenging. I've
I've spoken to my parents obviously, spoken to everybody that's
that's been behind me on this journey, and it's very
very special. But we don't have much time to to
(02:04):
really let it s in. Can We're gonna get it
right to.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Work, So let me come back to the website of
it in just a moment. Mom and Dad must be
absolutely thrilled.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah, they are, obviously It's funny because when I when
I found out and I got to call everybody, the
first sort of words or the first things that they said,
all of them, including my dad, my mum and everybody,
all the sponsors behind me, from from day one, I
can hear the relief in their voice before anything, So
it was an excitement or it was just pure relief,
(02:33):
which is also how I felt, to be honest, because
it's it's been obviously a huge journy and a lot
of people have put a lot into this, so yeah,
it's it's it's it was very exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
For confirmation's sake. You've got till the end of the season.
You don't know for next year, is that correct or not?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yes, that's that's correct.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I've basically got to the end of this season and
then I'll find out more as the season goes on, basically,
so yeah, at this stage, it's the six races.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Plus the three sprints. Do you know what you need
to do this season to get to next year?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I need to perform basically, I need to try and
obviously show my worth and air one and I would say,
do do a similar job to to what I did
last year. That's what's given me the shot now is
what happened last year. So I just need to do
enough to stay in the seat next year.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, tell us what you can, tell us what you can't.
But but I'm watching you last weekend in Singapore. You're
standing in the garage. You've got a microphone there and
some sort of earpiece. You're obviously talking to somebody feeding
them some sort of information about the car on a
weekend when Daniel Ricardo is clearly being sacked and everybody
knows you know that, they know they know that. You know,
(03:50):
how does that feel and how does that work?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Not good?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Honestly that you know, Singapore was definitely not an enjoyable
weekends for me, just because I obviously we all knew
what was sort of coming, and you know, at the
same time, Daniel has always been very good to me,
and in a lot of ways when I drove last
year and then even this season, he's he's always been
somebody that there's never been I've never felt, you know,
(04:16):
the sort of in competition with him or anything like that.
He never made it feel like that. So it's it's
not it wasn't a nice feeling. But obviously this for
me is you know, I get one shot at F
one and it's it's come now, and I'm obviously grateful
for that opportunity, but I now I need to take
it with both hands. And at the same time, you know,
he's he's he said the same thing to me, and
(04:40):
and he said, you know, you need to you need
to make the most of it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So so so he struck me publicly anyways, being exceedingly
good about it. Has he been that way to you?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
He has? He did. He did a very good job
on the weekend.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Honestly, I have a huge amount of respect for how
he dealt with everything because you know, I can't really
imagine what that It's a similar position when I was
in last year. But obviously the guy is a lot
more public, a lot more famous than I am. So
you know, he's getting he's getting a lot of questions
and trying to sidestep those. He did a very good
(05:14):
job at So yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Just going back a little bit in time, you did
a couple of testing days at Silverstone and Monza in
the last couple of weeks. Will they make or break
days the way some of these stories were made out
to be or was it all sort of set in
stone anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
No, it was they were all evaluation days, and they
were designed to put lots of pressure on me. And
that was basically it was for you know, an event
like this where to throw me in a bit like
last year, throw me in mid season.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They needed to know that.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
That, you know, obviously I'd somewhat performed, so they were
there were definitely evaluation days.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I can't remember the documentary because I watched a couple,
but there's one there. You're sitting in a chair and
you were told in Singapore, in other words, this time
last year, having done what you had done in place
of Ricardo, there was no seat and you think, you
think back to that moment in Singapore and then the
moment the other day in Singapore. You can't write that stuff,
(06:14):
can you.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I know it's exactly a year. La said I.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
You know, I'll never forget that feeling last year that
I had because you know, I just had sort of
gone into the week and just had my my absolute
best quality at Q three and I got told then
basically that that.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I wouldn't be driving next year.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
And we obviously fast forward a year hasn't been the
most enjoyable year, But obviously I'm I'm I'm glad that
we that we all stuck with her, and if anything, you.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Know, I'm better prepared now.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
There's so much to learn an F one that honestly,
even if you're not driving and you're reserved, you're absorbing
so much information that, yeah, it's it's going to be
a big step, but I'm glad we're stuck in there.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Last time we talked you, it was it was the
first time you were going to go into a season,
not literally getting behind the wheel. Obviously that's changed now,
But do you feel closer to being able to get
into the car from all the some work and the
experience you've done. In other words, the leap isn't as
great as it might have been.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think, yes, potentially, But it's it's always a big
you know, it's always a big jump. So it's going
to be it's going to be tough to jump in Austin.
I haven't done before either, So even though I've done
plenty of sim work, it's going to be it's gonna
be a big challenge. But I would say, you know,
I would say and better prepared. Definitely more prepared this
(07:36):
year than I was last year at the same time,
it's lightly later in the season this year. So you know,
as I said, these guys have done you know, three
quarters of a season and there's nothing like Obviously, I've
been training like crazy all year to try and be
ready for something like this, but even the few tests
that I've done this year, it's there's nothing like being
race fit, and it's going to be it's going to
(07:57):
be challenging in Austin mind.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
You must have looked to call a so and look
what he's done. If he can you can.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah with yeah, he's a race in the past, and uh,
to be fair, I always raised him very highly, and
I think it's it's great that, you know, more of us,
younger guys are getting a chance because it's so hard
to break into F one and at least now there's
a couple of us doing it that hopefully it pushes
(08:23):
more teams to give young drivers opportunities.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
What's your experience on so you've got Austin coming up, Mexico, Brazil,
Las Vegas of course, in the two Middle East races
to end the season, plus the sprint races. How much
experience have you got on those tracks?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Only the ones I did last year, so the ones
I haven't done at Austin, Vegas, Brazil. Fortunately, I've done
a free practice sation in Mexico once, so it's still
gonna be challenging, but at least I've driven the track
and then saying with Abb, I've driven it in in
Formula One, I did a free practicition there in the
(08:59):
Red Bull, so it'll just be those those tricks that
I haven't done. But the tough thing about Loston is
it's a sprint weekend, so it'll be one practice session
and then straight into Sprint Qualiti and obviously you know
I'm going to have to try and learn as much
as i can in one session then go into qualifying.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Well are you ready for the off track stuff the
Eurostar now? And we need to talk to you a lot.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I think I've luckily had a bit of experience with
it last year, so I'm better prepared for it. But
it's probably the one thing that US drivers don't really do.
You know, there's no real preparation for it. It's something
that you've just kind of thrown into and we're doing
all this work to try and be as ready to
drive the car as fast as possible and try and
focus on just that. But as you said, the reality
(09:45):
is is a lot of off track attention and you know,
even in the last three hours, I've been trying to
sort of keep my mind off a little bit, but
my phone's absolutely exploded.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
And it's something that after you get used to.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm not surprised. What's your assessment of the car and
what you can do with it for the rest of
the season.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
It's been I think where we started the year was
really strong. The car was going in a really good direction,
and then as the upgrades came, the other teams developed
quite quickly and the stuff we were developing quite often,
what works in theory doesn't always work on track and reality,
and it was kind of what was happening. So but
I think now we're in a more upwards swing. Singapore,
(10:32):
the car was quite strong and qualifying. We struggled in
the race, but we also have more upgrades coming for
later in the season, so it'll be similar to last
year in the way that we are pushing for every
point available and that's the target.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Fantastic mate, I'm obviously on behalf of everyone who listened
to I assume you have some idea of how thrilled
we all are for you, and all we can do
is wish you the very very best, to know that
each weekend we're watching you, following you and think it's
just magnificent news.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Thank you, and to yeah, I mean to everybody listening
and to everybody who's stuck with me for all the
years leading up to this, Yeah, thank you, because obviously
it's a huge journey and for me, this is what
I've what I've dreamed of doing since I was a kid.
So obviously now we have another mountain to climb going
into the season and hopefully driving next year as well.
(11:25):
Hopefully this is the start of aaller one for me.
But I just want to say thank you to everybody
because I appreciate it a lot.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Fantastic. Good to see you, mate, and go well and
we'll talk soon. Liam Laws, who is with us out
of the States this morning, good to having with us.
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
So it's not like it hasn't been coming for a while,
and it's not like there and haven't been the rumors
and the stories and the trials and the tribulations along
the way, But overnight confirmation that Liam Lawson has made
it to f one in his own seat, his own drive,
his chance to put himself into the history books in
a sport this country has played an outside role in
since names like McLaren and Hulm forge their reputation. So
(00:20):
what's it like to finally get the deal done? Liam
Lawson is with us? Good morning, good morning, how are
you doing very well? Congratulations? How does it feel?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you? It's it now?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Finally does sort of feel real? Obviously I had I
knew about it for the last sort of the last
probably two weeks, but until it's out there to the world,
it's obviously doesn't ever really feel set in stone, and
I couldn't tell anybody.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
So no, it's a very cool feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Who told you? And how does it work? Is Helmet involved?
Christian involved? How does it work?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It had been it had been the plan for a
long time now where this was sort of where it
was leading at least or you know, obviously I had
a contract date that that needed to be sort of fulfilled,
so they basically it was always going towards this way,
and then a couple of weeks ago basically they told
me this is what was going to happen, and then
(01:18):
basically not long after that, it was basically set in stone.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So, yeah, have you celebrated?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Uh not really, I'll be sound very happy, but.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
You know, it's it's it's six rounds left of the season,
so I've come in at a you know, difficult time.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
It's going to be a very challenging point. Obviously.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
You know, all these guys have done three quarters of
a season now, so I have to try and try
and compete with that now at tracks that I haven't
done as well, So it's going to be challenging. I've
I've spoken to my parents obviously, spoken to everybody that's
that's been behind me on this journey, and it's very
very special. But we don't have much time to to
(02:04):
really let it s in. Can We're gonna get it
right to.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Work, So let me come back to the website of
it in just a moment. Mom and Dad must be
absolutely thrilled.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah, they are, obviously It's funny because when I when
I found out and I got to call everybody, the
first sort of words or the first things that they said,
all of them, including my dad, my mum and everybody,
all the sponsors behind me, from from day one, I
can hear the relief in their voice before anything, So
it was an excitement or it was just pure relief,
(02:33):
which is also how I felt, to be honest, because
it's it's been obviously a huge journy and a lot
of people have put a lot into this, so yeah,
it's it's it's it was very exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
For confirmation's sake. You've got till the end of the season.
You don't know for next year, is that correct or not?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yes, that's that's correct.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I've basically got to the end of this season and
then I'll find out more as the season goes on, basically,
so yeah, at this stage, it's the six races.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Plus the three sprints. Do you know what you need
to do this season to get to next year?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I need to perform basically, I need to try and
obviously show my worth and air one and I would say,
do do a similar job to to what I did
last year. That's what's given me the shot now is
what happened last year. So I just need to do
enough to stay in the seat next year.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, tell us what you can, tell us what you can't.
But but I'm watching you last weekend in Singapore. You're
standing in the garage. You've got a microphone there and
some sort of earpiece. You're obviously talking to somebody feeding
them some sort of information about the car on a
weekend when Daniel Ricardo is clearly being sacked and everybody
knows you know that, they know they know that. You know,
(03:50):
how does that feel and how does that work?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Not good?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Honestly that you know, Singapore was definitely not an enjoyable
weekends for me, just because I obviously we all knew
what was sort of coming, and you know, at the
same time, Daniel has always been very good to me,
and in a lot of ways when I drove last
year and then even this season, he's he's always been
somebody that there's never been I've never felt, you know,
(04:16):
the sort of in competition with him or anything like that.
He never made it feel like that. So it's it's
not it wasn't a nice feeling. But obviously this for
me is you know, I get one shot at F
one and it's it's come now, and I'm obviously grateful
for that opportunity, but I now I need to take
it with both hands. And at the same time, you know,
he's he's he said the same thing to me, and
(04:40):
and he said, you know, you need to you need
to make the most of it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So so so he struck me publicly anyways, being exceedingly
good about it. Has he been that way to you?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
He has? He did. He did a very good job
on the weekend.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Honestly, I have a huge amount of respect for how
he dealt with everything because you know, I can't really
imagine what that It's a similar position when I was
in last year. But obviously the guy is a lot
more public, a lot more famous than I am. So
you know, he's getting he's getting a lot of questions
and trying to sidestep those. He did a very good
(05:14):
job at So yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Just going back a little bit in time, you did
a couple of testing days at Silverstone and Monza in
the last couple of weeks. Will they make or break
days the way some of these stories were made out
to be or was it all sort of set in
stone anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
No, it was they were all evaluation days, and they
were designed to put lots of pressure on me. And
that was basically it was for you know, an event
like this where to throw me in a bit like
last year, throw me in mid season.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They needed to know that.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
That, you know, obviously I'd somewhat performed, so they were
there were definitely evaluation days.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I can't remember the documentary because I watched a couple,
but there's one there. You're sitting in a chair and
you were told in Singapore, in other words, this time
last year, having done what you had done in place
of Ricardo, there was no seat and you think, you
think back to that moment in Singapore and then the
moment the other day in Singapore. You can't write that stuff,
(06:14):
can you.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I know it's exactly a year. La said I.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
You know, I'll never forget that feeling last year that
I had because you know, I just had sort of
gone into the week and just had my my absolute
best quality at Q three and I got told then
basically that that.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I wouldn't be driving next year.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
And we obviously fast forward a year hasn't been the
most enjoyable year, But obviously I'm I'm I'm glad that
we that we all stuck with her, and if anything, you.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Know, I'm better prepared now.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
There's so much to learn an F one that honestly,
even if you're not driving and you're reserved, you're absorbing
so much information that, yeah, it's it's going to be
a big step, but I'm glad we're stuck in there.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Last time we talked you, it was it was the
first time you were going to go into a season,
not literally getting behind the wheel. Obviously that's changed now,
But do you feel closer to being able to get
into the car from all the some work and the
experience you've done. In other words, the leap isn't as
great as it might have been.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think, yes, potentially, But it's it's always a big
you know, it's always a big jump. So it's going
to be it's going to be tough to jump in Austin.
I haven't done before either, So even though I've done
plenty of sim work, it's going to be it's gonna
be a big challenge. But I would say, you know,
I would say and better prepared. Definitely more prepared this
(07:36):
year than I was last year at the same time,
it's lightly later in the season this year. So you know,
as I said, these guys have done you know, three
quarters of a season and there's nothing like Obviously, I've
been training like crazy all year to try and be
ready for something like this, but even the few tests
that I've done this year, it's there's nothing like being
race fit, and it's going to be it's going to
(07:57):
be challenging in Austin mind.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
You must have looked to call a so and look
what he's done. If he can you can.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah with yeah, he's a race in the past, and uh,
to be fair, I always raised him very highly, and
I think it's it's great that, you know, more of us,
younger guys are getting a chance because it's so hard
to break into F one and at least now there's
a couple of us doing it that hopefully it pushes
(08:23):
more teams to give young drivers opportunities.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
What's your experience on so you've got Austin coming up, Mexico, Brazil,
Las Vegas of course, in the two Middle East races
to end the season, plus the sprint races. How much
experience have you got on those tracks?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Only the ones I did last year, so the ones
I haven't done at Austin, Vegas, Brazil. Fortunately, I've done
a free practice sation in Mexico once, so it's still
gonna be challenging, but at least I've driven the track
and then saying with Abb, I've driven it in in
Formula One, I did a free practicition there in the
(08:59):
Red Bull, so it'll just be those those tricks that
I haven't done. But the tough thing about Loston is
it's a sprint weekend, so it'll be one practice session
and then straight into Sprint Qualiti and obviously you know
I'm going to have to try and learn as much
as i can in one session then go into qualifying.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Well are you ready for the off track stuff the
Eurostar now? And we need to talk to you a lot.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I think I've luckily had a bit of experience with
it last year, so I'm better prepared for it. But
it's probably the one thing that US drivers don't really do.
You know, there's no real preparation for it. It's something
that you've just kind of thrown into and we're doing
all this work to try and be as ready to
drive the car as fast as possible and try and
focus on just that. But as you said, the reality
(09:45):
is is a lot of off track attention and you know,
even in the last three hours, I've been trying to
sort of keep my mind off a little bit, but
my phone's absolutely exploded.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
And it's something that after you get used to.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm not surprised. What's your assessment of the car and
what you can do with it for the rest of
the season.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
It's been I think where we started the year was
really strong. The car was going in a really good direction,
and then as the upgrades came, the other teams developed
quite quickly and the stuff we were developing quite often,
what works in theory doesn't always work on track and reality,
and it was kind of what was happening. So but
I think now we're in a more upwards swing. Singapore,
(10:32):
the car was quite strong and qualifying. We struggled in
the race, but we also have more upgrades coming for
later in the season, so it'll be similar to last
year in the way that we are pushing for every
point available and that's the target.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Fantastic mate, I'm obviously on behalf of everyone who listened
to I assume you have some idea of how thrilled
we all are for you, and all we can do
is wish you the very very best, to know that
each weekend we're watching you, following you and think it's
just magnificent news.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Thank you, and to yeah, I mean to everybody listening
and to everybody who's stuck with me for all the
years leading up to this, Yeah, thank you, because obviously
it's a huge journey and for me, this is what
I've what I've dreamed of doing since I was a kid.
So obviously now we have another mountain to climb going
into the season and hopefully driving next year as well.
(11:25):
Hopefully this is the start of aaller one for me.
But I just want to say thank you to everybody
because I appreciate it a lot.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Fantastic. Good to see you, mate, and go well and
we'll talk soon. Liam Laws, who is with us out
of the States this morning, good to having with us.
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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