Lawson vividly recalls the life-altering call from Helmut Marko that propelled his shift from local races to the global F1 stage.
Liam Lawson recalls the day Helmut Marko called to enlist him in the Red Bull Academy. The New Zealander, poised to debut as a primary driver this season, remembers frequently encountering Red Bull drivers.
“Interestingly, I was racing in New Zealand when I got hired. We had this series, which was very, very popular. Many F1 drivers participated in it. Lando [Norris] raced there, Lance Stroll did, a few F1 guys raced,” Lawson shares.
“It’s the Toyota Racing Series, held for five weeks in January in New Zealand, in summer, while it’s much colder in Europe and the US, so there are no races. It attracted drivers from all championships, of very high caliber.”
“As a child passionate about Formula 1, I watched this series every year and dreamed of driving it—for me, it was the Formula 1 of racing at the time. I finally got to participate in this series after my first year in Europe.”
“After the first weekend, where I was very strong, there was a Red Bull driver at the time, Lucas Auer. He was racing; he was my teammate. So, I guess Helmut was watching Lucas’s races. I had a very good first weekend.”
“I never thought such a thing would happen. I remember the previous year, I raced in F4 in Europe and Jack Doohan was a Red Bull junior at the time, and we did some testing together somewhere.”
“It might have been at Hockenheim, in Germany. I remember seeing him walking around in his Red Bull suit, and I remember thinking it was really cool and it would be great to be a Red Bull Junior.”
A few days after that weekend in New Zealand, Lawson received a call he still remembers vividly: “I got the call after that first weekend in New Zealand, I found out one or two days after the weekend—I was sitting in a café, I remember exactly where I was sitting.”
“I remember I couldn’t walk! It was really strange. They told me, and I was obviously very moved, but I thought ‘man, I need to go for a walk,’ and I couldn’t really walk properly! It was really weird.”
And if he was so shocked, it was because it was an opportunity to revive a dream that was nearing its end: “It was a big achievement because, to put it briefly, when you come from New Zealand and try to race abroad, it’s very, very hard to get funding.”
“So, we set up in New Zealand a group of extraordinary people who supported me, sponsors and investors, the necessary structure to raise enough money to go to Europe, do a season, and try to be recognized by a junior team.”
“Because without that, I had no chance of getting to F1. I did that first season in Europe, and I had a good season, but no team called me, and then I just did this championship in New Zealand during the off-season with no plans for what I would do in 2019, and I was picked at the perfect moment, and it saved my career. Without that, I had four weeks left in that championship, and I had no plans after that.”
Being a reserve is “not straightforward.”
This year, Lawson is spending a lot of time in the simulator, as that’s what his role entails. He explains that his job, at least for this year, is not to race as a primary driver: “That’s largely my role. Obviously, as a reserve, I don’t get to drive much. I’m not racing.”
“Actually, this is the first time since I was probably seven years old that I haven’t competed in a championship during a season. So, I’m mainly focused on development, on what happens behind the scenes.”
While he admits it’s challenging after racing his entire career, including in F1, he has learned to put it in perspective: “Clearly, it’s part of the process. It’s tricky, for sure, especially since I had a brief taste of Formula 1 last year, and it was incredible.”
“But, obviously, I had to return to this position, and now, it’s kind of like a waiting game. It gives a different perspective. I’m obviously very fortunate to have done it, and it probably helps me more in my role as a reserve now because I sort of know what it’s like to drive.”
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From Kiwi Tracks to F1: Marko Rescues Lawson From Kiwi Tracks to F1: Marko Rescues Lawson
