D'Arcy Waldegrave on Liam Lawson's F1 opportunity and what lead him to this moment

In what will be my last structured rant of 2024, I'll finish on a high. That high is Liam Lawson.

He is following in the footsteps of NZ F1 greats such as Hulme, McLaren and Amon. He is the 10th Kiwi to breathe the rarefied air of Formula 1 and this week he inhaled the deepest breath of all.

The news on Thursday night that the young man raised in Pukekohe had secured a Red Bull contract for 2025, racing for one of the best teams in Formula One, is still sinking in.

After many years of battling through the categories on his way to the Everest of the sport, life just got a whole lot tougher.

From karts to Formula First, through the Toyota Racing Series, Formula 3, the DTM and Formula 2 and some tantalising tastes of Formula 1 through the Racing Bulls team, this hot shoe has steadfastly kept his eyes locked on the prize. Now, after a drawn out

and at times frustrating final run at a permanent seat, he's struck gold. Liam Lawson has arrived.

He's ruffled feathers along the way, proving to many that his attitude and race craft is that of a Formula 1 pilot. Accusations of a lack of respect for the veterans of the sport have been met with measured aggression, a refusal to acquiesce to the insanity of an

experience based hierarchy. He races with his elbows out, knowing that respect

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from Newstalk SB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is my last proper rant of twenty twenty four,
so I'm going to finish on a high that high
lim lawson of course, but he's following in the footsteps
of New Zealand Formula one great such as Home and
McLaren and Amon. He's the tenth Kiwi to breathe the
rarefied era of Formula One and this week he inhaled

(00:33):
the deepest breath of all the news on Thursday night
that that young man raised in the Puki Koi had
secured a red Bull contract for twenty twenty five racing
for one of the best teams in Formula One. It's
still sinking in for me. I expect him as family
and most of the Formula one globe, after many, many

(00:53):
years of battling through the categories on his way to
the everest of the sport life just got a whole
lot tougher from krts the Formula First through the Titter
Racing Series, Formula three, d TM, Formula Tie two and
some tantalizing tastes of Formula One through the Racing Balls team.
This hot shoe has steadfastly kept his eyes locked on

(01:15):
the prize, and now, after a drawn out and at
times rather frustrating final run at a permanent seat, he's
struck gold. Liam Lawson has arrived. He's rifled feathers along
the way. He's proving to many that his attitude and
race craft is that of a Formula one pilot. Accusations
of lack of respect for the veterans of the sport

(01:35):
have been met with measured aggression from limb, a refusal
to acquiesce to the insanity of an experienced based hierarchy.
He races with his elbows out, knowing that respect and
motorsport comes from beating the other guy fair and square.
Names and teams and reputation they mean bugger all. Liam
is a pure racer and that's what has taken him

(01:58):
this far. But now is it base camp. This is
where years of toil and his bloody minded attitude to
the sport or need to be concentrated further for his
final assault on the summit. Getting a seat in Formula
one is one thing. Getting a seat in one of
the top teams, partnering the four times reigning world champion
Max first Stappen is another. But holding on to that

(02:21):
seat and being instrumental in Red Bulls return to the Constructors' Championship,
that's the greatest step he needs to take. Beyond that,
not even worth thinking about. His entire life has been
focused on this one opportunity. As difficult as the lead
up has been to securing this incredibly rare role, it's

(02:43):
been nothing compared to what he faces now. Formula one
is immense. It's intense, It's tied together by billions of dollars.
The world is watching as the most insane sporting circus
on the planet blasts through almost every continent. There is
nowhere to hide. There are no excuses for a kid

(03:06):
from Antierro whose parents sold their house to pay for
what was essentially a pipe dream of a young petrol head.
This is one of the most outstanding stories in New
Zealand sport, sad peaks and troughs. It's been many years
in the making and now it's his time to shine.

(03:27):
The real work starts now and I am so here
for it. That'll do.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
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