Liam Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Lawson at the2022 Austrian Grand Prix | |
| Born | Liam Jared Lawson (2002-02-11)11 February 2002 (age 23) Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| 2025 team(s) | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT[1] Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT[2] |
| Car number | 30[a] |
| Entries | 33 (33 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Careerpoints | 42 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2023 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix |
| 2024 position | 21st (4 pts) |
| Previous series | |
| Championship titles | |
| |
| Website | liamlawson30 |
Liam Jared Lawson (born 11 February 2002) is a New Zealandracing driver who competes inFormula One forRacing Bulls.
Born inHastings and raised inPukekohe, Lawson began competitivekart racing aged six. Lawson—who is mentored by three-timeNew Zealand Grand Prix winnerKen Smith—graduated tojunior formulae in 2015, winning his first title in theNew Zealand Formula Ford Championship as aprivateer. He finished runner-up in the2017 Australian F4,2018 ADAC F4 and2019 Euroformula Open championships, before winning theToyota Racing Series in2019 withM2. Lawson then progressed toFIA Formula 3 in2020 before moving toFIA Formula 2 in2021, where he placed third thefollowing season withCarlin. He also competed in the2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters forRed BullAF Corse alongsideAlex Albon, finishing runner-up toMaximilian Götz amidst a controversial finale. Lawson then competed in the2023 Super Formula Championship, finishing runner-up toRitomo Miyata withMugen.
A member of theRed Bull Junior Team since 2019, Lawson was a reserve driver for bothRed Bull andAlphaTauri from2022 to2024. Lawson made his Formula One debut at the2023 Dutch Grand Prix, replacing an injuredDaniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri for five Grands Prix in2023, scoring his maiden points finish inSingapore. He replaced Ricciardo full-time at the re-brandedRacing Bulls in2024 from theUnited States Grand Prix onwards. Lawson was promoted to a full-time drive with parent teamRed Bull for his2025 campaign—replacingSergio Pérez to partnerMax Verstappen—but was demoted after thesecond round.[2] Lawson is contracted to remain at Racing Bulls until at least the end of the 2025 season.
Liam Jared Lawson was born on 11 February 2002 inHastings, New Zealand.[1][3] He was raised inPukekohe, which was home toPukekohe Park Raceway, located in theAuckland Region of theNorth Island.[4] His parents sold their house to fund his racing career.[4]
Lawson selected the number 30 as his personal driver number in Formula One, which he had used since age eight in honour of his karting mentor.[5]
Lawson began karting in 2008, competing in numerous championships across New Zealand, including two karting titles in 2014. Each year he returns to the Kartsport Auckland Go Kart Club onRosebank Road,Avondale and competes in the big City of Sails race onAuckland Anniversary Weekend according to Speedhive myLaps, thetransponder company that was used.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
In 2015, Lawson made his single-seater debut in the Formula First Manfeild Winter Series withSabre Motorsport, taking a win and ten podiums to finish second overall.[12] A few months later, he joined Sabre to contest theNZ Formula First championship, taking a win and three podiums on his way to sixth in the championship and the Rookie of the Year title.[13][14][15] The following year, Lawson graduated to theNZ F1600 Championship Series.[16] There he dominated proceedings, claiming fourteen of the fifteen victories on offer to become the youngest champion in not just the series' history, but the youngest ever Formula Ford champion in world at the time.[17]
In 2017, Lawson moved up to theAustralian F4 championship withBRM, taking five wins to finish second in only his rookie season.[18][19] The following year, Lawson remained at Formula 4 level, moving across to contest theADAC Formula 4 championship withVan Amersfoort Racing and received backing from Turner's, the New Zealand used car network that had previously sponsoredIndyCar championScott Dixon.[20][21] Claiming three wins and three pole positions, Lawson's performances saw him claim his second consecutive F4 runner up position, behindLirim Zendeli.[22]
In November 2018, Lawson joinedM2 Competition for the2019 championship.[23] Lawson dominated on debut at Highlands, taking 2 races wins by over nine-seconds each and won the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy as a result of winning Race 3.[24][25] Claiming three additional wins across the season, Lawson secured the title at theNew Zealand Grand Prix after a season long battle withFerrari junior and fellow countrymanMarcus Armstrong.[26]
Lawson had been set to join the inaugural season of the Formula European Masters withMotopark, alongside fellow Red Bull JuniorYuki Tsunoda, but followed the German outfit to theEuroformula Open Championship when Formula European Masters was cancelled due to a lack of entrants.[27][28][29] Lawson won the opening races atPaul Ricard, and also inPau.[30][31] He would go on to take two more victories to become runner-up toMarino Sato.[32] He did however, win the rookies' championship.[33]
In November 2018, Lawson competed in the season finale of theAsian F3 championship with Irish outfit Pinnacle Motorsport.[34] He proceeded to dominate the weekend, taking all wins, fastest laps and pole positions on offer to finish eighth in the championship.[35][36]
In March 2019, Lawson joinedMP Motorsport to contest theinaugural championship, alongsideRichard Verschoor andSimo Laaksonen.[37] His debut atBarcelona, did not go well, qualifying lowest of the MP Motorsport drivers before suffering a throttle motor failure in Race 1.[38] Thesecond round at Paul Ricard went much better, with him scoring his first points in ninth place in Race 1 and then improving to fifth place in Race 2.[39][40] TheRed Bull Ring round was rather forgettable, taking 14th and 25th. An impressive qualifying saw him atSilverstone in seventh, and in Race 1 Lawson dropped back to eighth. It gave him reverse pole for Race 2. Lawson held the lead for nearly half race distance before being overtaken byLeonardo Pulcini andRobert Shwartzman, eventually finishing third.[41] This gave him and MP Motorsport's first podium of the season.[42] Following that, Lawson did not score at all at both theHungary andSpa-Francorchamps rounds. AtMonza, Lawson he claimed 13th. However, he managed to progress up to seventh in Race 1, giving him a front row start for Race 2. At the start, Lawson dropped to fourth after being passed byJake Hughes and fellow Red Bull juniorYuki Tsunoda. A few laps later, he was able to pass polesitterFabio Scherer and later re-pass Hughes. Lawson would eventually finish second behind Tsunoda, taking his second podium of the season, earning another breakthrough.[43][44] Starting 23rd for the final round atSochi, Lawson only improved to 18th in Race 1. He charged back to eighth, stealing a point after overtakingMax Fewtrell andChristian Lundgaard on the last lap.[45] Overall, Lawson was the highest scoring MP Motorsport driver with 41 points and scoring all two of the team's podiums. He finished 11th in the championship.
Just two weeks after the final round, Lawson was announced to compete at that year'sMacau Grand Prix, remaining with MP Motorsport.[46] Lawson qualified 15th, but in the qualification race slipped back to 20th. What followed after that was a storming drive, eventually coming through to finish seventh.[47]
The following year for the2020 season, Lawson switched toHitech Grand Prix, joining fellow Red Bull JuniorDennis Hauger andMax Fewtrell.[48] Lawson qualified 12th in theAustrian race, and charged to sixth. Race 2 was much better though, improving to third. He then passedClément Novalak andDavid Beckmann to move into the race lead. Despite a last minute charge from ex-teammateRichard Verschoor, Lawson managed to hold on and grab his maiden victory in the series.[49][50] For the2nd Austrian round, Lawson qualified tenth. In treacherous wet conditions in Race 1 he managed an eighth place. Starting third for Race 2, Lawson remained in the position until lap 4, where he made the double pass onJake Hughes andThéo Pourchaire. Lawson and Hughes would then be involved in a race-long battle, constantly trading first and second with each other. On lap 21, the battle would finally come to a stop as Lawson and Hughes collided, ending both their races and handing the win to Pourchaire.[51] A double retirement for Lawson atHungary followed. Lawson started in eleventh, but a chaotic start saw him up to fourth within a handful of corners. Lawson's race would end on lap 5, with fire pouring out of his car prompting to his retirement. In Race 2, Lawson lost power on lap 8 and retired with an engine issue.[52]
Lawson would then score in every race for the rest of the year. InSilverstone, Lawson missed out on a pole by 0.058s toLogan Sargeant.[53][54] He would turn it around, overtaking Sargeant on the outside of Stowe corner on the opening lap. Midway through the race, he would be fend offOscar Piastri to take his second win.[55][56] In Race 2, Lawson finished seventh. For the2nd Silverstone round, Lawson again qualified second, also behind Sargeant.[53] Unfortunately, he was unable to repeat his previous success, this time being passed by Hughes at the start. He would end up in third, and despite the result, he stated that "the pace wasn't dissimilar" compared to his winning pace a week before.[57] Lawson narrowly missed a podium in the second race going wide battling with Pourchaire at the penultimate corner and getting pipped byDavid Beckmann losing out on fourth by 0.019s.[58][59] Lawson had another great qualifying in third forBarcelona, despite an engine issue likely preventing his chances for pole.[60] Lawson stayed in third until the third last lap, where he overtook Sargeant to finish second.[61][62] Lawson claimed seventh for Race 2 and his consistent podium scoring elevated him to third place in the championship.[63]
Lawson qualified seventh inSpa-Francorchamps. He eventually finished ninth after being passed byOlli Caldwell on the penultimate lap. Starting second in Race 2, he had a torrid start, falling to fifth by the first lap, and soon sixth. But he charged back to third, including a late pass on Pourchaire.[64] Lawson initially qualified fourth inMonza. However, following numerous penalties from other drivers saw him inherit pole position.[65] Lawson survived an attack from the start byMatteo Nannini, but he came out with damage to his car following contact with Nannini. Lawson eventually conceded the lead to Pourchaire on lap 4. His race started going downhill from that point, eventually finishing sixth. Lawson took the Race 2 lead on lap 8, squabbling withLirim Zendeli. But just two laps later, he was passed by Hughes. Lawson crossed the line in second, but after the race, he was demoted ten seconds for forcing Zendeli off-track, and was re-classified seventh.[66] For theMugello season finale, Lawson qualified a poor 13th but was promoted to 11th. In Race 1, he lingered in 11th for most of the race, until lap 17 where he passedJack Doohan. In Race 2, Lawson led a dominant lights-to-flag victory, winning by eight seconds.[67] Overall, Lawson finished fifth in the championship with 143 points. He claimed six podiums including three wins and a fastest lap throughout the season.
In December 2017, Lawson partook in theMazda Road to Indy Shootout, finishing as the fastest driver but losing out on the scholarship to Ireland'sKeith Donegan.[68][69][70]
Lawson took part in the 2020 post-season testing withHitech Grand Prix.[71][72] On 15 January 2021, Lawson was announced to be competing in the2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship with them alongsideJüri Vips.[73] Lawson qualified eighth at theopening round in Bahrain. During the first sprint race, Lawson made a good start, straightaway taking the lead fromDavid Beckmann andThéo Pourchaire. Towards the last few lapsJehan Daruvala closed on him but Lawson was able to fend off him and thus take his maiden win on his debut.[74] On his win, Lawson described that "[Daruvala] was a lot faster, I thought he was going to get me".[75] However, it would be turned around in the second sprint. Lawson made good progress initially, avoiding the chaos at the start and moving up to third by Lap 5. However, on Lap 15,Felipe Drugovich andChristian Lundgaard caught Lawson, in which Drugovich collided and spun him, taking him out.[76] Lawson finished on the podium once again in third, after passingRichard Verschoor on the last lap.[77][78] Lawson sat 2nd in the championship, but the weekend would turn out to be the best of the season. Lawson qualified 12th atMonaco, and made up to ninth in Sprint Race 1. Starting first afterMarcus Armstrong was unable to take the grid, Lawson was overtaken byOscar Piastri. On Lap 5, Lawson was able to get back past Piastri, making a heroic overtake on him at La Rascasse. Lawson would go on to dominate and win by seven seconds.[79] He was later stripped of his victory for using a prohibited throttle map at the start of the race, handing the win toDan Ticktum.[80] Lawson later described his disqualification as "hard to swallow".[81] Lawson ended the weekend in seventh in the feature race.[82]
Lawson took his maiden pole position at thethird round in Baku, forming a Hitech front row lockout.[83][84] However, the first sprint race quickly ended for Lawson, when Piastri put Lawson into the wall, damaging the suspension.[85] Lawson demonstrated a fightback in the second sprint, up to 11th on lap 4. More incidents ahead followed, and Lawson was up in sixth. However, he had to change the brake bias in the car on lap 12, losing places to Ticktum and Piastri. Despite that, Lawson passed Piastri on the very next lap to finish seventh.[86] In the feature race, Lawson was overtaken by Jüri Vips at the first corner. He then aggressively defended againstThéo Pourchaire pushing him off-track leading to a 10-second time penalty for Lawson. He put up yet another charge, eventually finished sixth.[87] Lawson qualified 11th inSilverstone, one place off reverse pole. Lawson made up positions at the start of the first sprint to finish seventh. During the second sprint, Lawson ran in fourth for majority of the race before being passed by Piastri on lap 18 of 21, eventually finishing fifth. In the feature race, Lawson had a poor race only finishing in 11th where he started.[88][89]
InMonza, Lawson qualified fourth. Starting seventh for the first sprint, Lawson was up in fourth after Ticktum and Drugovich collided, However, on lap 5 while battling for third with Pourchaire, Lawson damaged his front wing and was forced to pit. He made another comeback, finishing fifth thanks to mishaps and a penalty for drivers ahead of him.[90] Lawson drove another good race in the second sprint, finishing fourth after a late move onDavid Beckmann. Lawson made a superior start in the feature race, passingJehan Daruvala andGuanyu Zhou on the first lap to second. While pitting under the safety car, Lawson was held up in the pit lane and fell back to net fourth place. On lap 22, just as he was about to overtake Daruvala, a power loss saw Lawson pull out of the race and prevent him from another point-scoring finish.[91] Lawson qualified eighth atSochi Autodrom.[92] While running in third in the first sprint, Lawson damaged his rear-left suspension against the wall, ending his race.[93] Lawson finished seventh in the feature race after a slow start.
Lawson qualified tenth at theJeddah Corniche Circuit and started from reverse pole in the first sprint. But into the first corner, he was out dragged by fellow kiwiMarcus Armstrong. Despite a late charge, Lawson was unable to overtake him and had to settle for second, taking his first podium since the Bahrain round.[94][95] Lawson was set for a top 10 finish in the second sprint, but on the third last lap, crashed out.[96] He finished the aborted feature race in ninth.[97] Lawson qualified seventh for the season finale atYas Marina. Starting fourth for the first sprint, Lawson made up a position on Ticktum to third, but eventually finished fifth after being overtaken by bothPrema cars. Lawson finished sixth in the second sprint after a late pass on Daruvala.[98] On the first lap of the feature race, Lawson spun asJack Doohan ahead spun out of the race, but fortunately Lawson only lost a position. While running in eighth in the dying moments of the race, Lawson was forced to park his car with an engine issue.[99][100] Overall, Lawson finished ninth in the championship, with 103 points. During his maiden campaign, he scored one win and three podiums.[101]
On 14 January 2022, Lawson announced that he would race forCarlin in the2022 season alongside AmericanLogan Sargeant.[102][103]
Lawson qualified sixth for his first race for Carlin atBahrain. In the sprint race he achieved a third placed podium after passingRalph Boschung late in the race.[104] He made up a position during the start of the feature race, and when leaders were faced with obstacles on their own, Lawson kept his nose clean to take second place.[105] Following the round, Lawson said that he was "more comfortable" in F2 following his dual campaign withDTM in 2021.[106] Lawson qualified fifth inJeddah and would start the sprint race in the same position. After race leaderDennis Hauger made an error going through the pitlane during the safety car, Lawson was promoted to the podium places. As soon as the safety car was withdrawn, Lawson quickly overtookCalan Williams and laterJake Hughes to take his first win of the season and second overall.[107] Lawson was set to continue his podium streak running in third during the feature race, but a loose front-left wheel after his pitstop forced him to retire just before the exit of the pitlane.[108][109] Despite that, he remained second in the championship.
Lawson had a below par qualifying inImola, qualifying only 14th. He made a great start, moving up to tenth. He then overtookAyumu Iwasa and then gained a position following Boschung's retirement, stealing a point in eighth.[110] In the feature race, Lawson was set for more points, until the safety car was brought out on lap 6, which destroyed his pit strategy as he started on hards. Running in 13th after his pit stop, his steering wheel broke, slamming him into the wall and ending his race, in what was to be a frustrating weekend.[111] Lawson once again qualified poorly, this time even lower in 16th. He had an electric start in the sprint race, but missed points in ninth. Lawson had another good feature race start, making up seven positions at the start. After the round of pit stops, Lawson sat sixth, but with drivers behind on fresher tyres, fell to ninth at the flag.[112]
At theMonaco round, Lawson soared to his first pole of the year.[113] However, his lap was deleted and was relegated to fifth place after failing to slow during yellow flags. Additionally, Lawson was given a five-place grid drop for the sprint race to start 11th.[114] The rest of his weekend was uneventful, he gained a point in the sprint race with eighth. His car then stalled on the grid during the feature race and he would eventually retire with engine issues while running 12th.[115] InBaku, Lawson secured second place in qualifying, behind former teammateJüri Vips.[116][117] In the sprint race, Lawson had a quiet race until the safety car restart on lap 19, where he moved from seventh to third within a minute. He would claim third place and his first podium since the second round.[118] In the feature race, a messy pit stop saw Lawson lose a few places. Following a safety car restart, Lawson was hit from behind byJack Doohan, which punctured Lawson's tyre and was forced back to the pits. He would finish 15th.[119]
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InSilverstone, Lawson secured fifth in qualifying. He made contact with another rival during the sprint race, sustaining front wing damage. He was forced to pit for repairs and finished 20th. In the feature race, Lawson overtookFelipe Drugovich andFrederik Vesti at the start to move into third, and stayed in that position to take another podium.[120][121] For theRed Bull Ring round, Lawson qualified 14th. He stalled on the starting grid for the sprint race, and his day got worse as his car suffered problems to pull him out of the race.[122] In the feature race, Lawson made the right call to put slick tyres at the start and it rewarded him with tenth place and a solitary point.[123]
InPaul Ricard, Lawson ranked ninth in qualifying.[124] Starting second in the sprint race, he was overtaken byMarcus Armstrong at the start but quickly dispatched him on lap 4. Following a safety car restart, Lawson huntedJehan Daruvala and passed him on lap 16, to take his second win of the year.[125][126] He followed his win with a sixth-placed finish in the feature race.[127] Lawson qualified 11th inHungary, just one place short for reverse pole. He battled to sixth place in the sprint race after making some great overtakes. In the feature race, Lawson started on the harder tyres and lost positions at the start. Despite that, he was able to make use his grippier tyres at the end to secure seventh.[128]
AtSpa-Francorchamps, Lawson qualified in sixth place. A cheeky start saw him take to the grass in the sprint race to move into second place. He then overtookRalph Boschung on lap 2 to dominate the field and claim another win.[129] In the feature race, Lawson had a battle withEnzo Fittipaldi in which he won out, and took a third place to cap off his best F2 weekend to date.[130][131] InZandvoort, Lawson ended qualifying in sixth position. He made up a place on Vips at the start, but ended the sprint race fourth as he was unable to overtake Hauger.[132] In the feature race, along with a few others, Lawson started on the harder tyres. This would end up not working, asMarino Sato brought out the safety car which bunched the field mid-race. As cars were not allowed to pit under safety car conditions, Lawson ended the race 12th.[133][134]
InMonza, Lawson qualified second alongside Doohan.[135] He had an average start in the sprint race, but fell to 11th. He was involved in several duels but powered through to finish in sixth place,[136] later promoted to fifth due to a post-race penalty fromRichard Verschoor.[137] In the feature race, a slow start for Doohan saw Lawson take the lead, but during the safety car pitted a lap later than the likes of Daruvala and Armstrong. His day got worse as he was spun around by Vips, and sustained front wing damage.[138] He finished 13th, last of the runners.[139] Having qualified ninth inAbu Dhabi, Lawson took his fourth victory of the season in the sprint race, having conserved his tyres better than Verschoor, whom he overtook on lap 10.[140] In the feature race, he pitted early, and found himself in third place which was where he eventually finished.[141] Lawson ended third in the driver's championship with 149 points, whilst claiming four victories and six other podiums.[142]
In February 2019, Lawson joined theRed Bull Junior Team.[143]
In July 2021, Lawson got his first experience in an F1 car at the 2021Goodwood Festival of Speed, driving the 2011Red Bull RB7.[144] Lawson took part in the Young Driver Test at theYas Marina Circuit at the end of the2021 season withScuderia AlphaTauri, driving theAT02.[145] For the2022 season, he served as a reserve/test driver forAlphaTauri. In March 2022Franz Tost revealed that Lawson would make hisFormula One debut in afree practice session for them during the season.[146][147] He made his free practice debut at the2022 Belgian Grand Prix.[148][149]
Following then-reserve driverJüri Vips' exclamation of the racial slur "nigga" during aTwitch livestream (in which, incidentally, Lawson was also present) during June 2022, team principalChristian Horner confirmed that Lawson had been promoted to replace Vips as the reserve driver forRed Bull Racing, sharing this role with AlphaTauri.[150] Lawson made another FP1 appearance with AlphaTauri at the2022 Mexico City Grand Prix.[151][152] He made his Red Bull debut during practice at the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix.[153] Lawson then took part in the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi driving the Red Bull.[154]
Lawson continued as reserve driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri in2023.[155] In February, he drove the RB7 for a demonstration run during the2023 Bathurst 12 Hour.[156] Following theBritish Grand Prix,Nyck de Vries was removed from his seat at AlphaTauri, withDaniel Ricciardo being chosen ahead of Lawson to replace the Dutchman.[157] Following the announcement, Lawson stated that he "understood their decision" and commented that jumping in mid-season would be "extremely tough".[158]
Lawson made his Formula One debut at the2023 Dutch Grand Prix for AlphaTauri, temporarily replacing Ricciardo after he sustained a broken hand in a crash in Friday's second free practice session.[159][160][161] With limited practice time which included a spin, he qualified in 20th.[162] Despite a ten-second penalty for impedingKevin Magnussen in the pits, Lawson finished in 13th place in a challenging and eventful debut race.[163] Most notably, it included battling withFerrari'sCharles Leclerc and finishing higher than his AlphaTauri teammateYuki Tsunoda.[164][165] On 28 August 2023, AlphaTauri team principalFranz Tost stated that Lawson would likely continue to race for the team at the2023 Italian Grand Prix.[166] This statement was confirmed hours later, as Lawson would also be keeping his replacement role until Ricciardo is fit to race.[167] Lawson qualified in 12th place at the2023 Italian Grand Prix and finished in 11th place.[168] At the2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Lawson qualified a career-best tenth place, most notably, knocking championship leaderMax Verstappen out of the second part of qualifying.[169][170] After fending offAlex Albon during the last laps, Lawson finished the race in ninth, scoring points for the first time in Formula One as well as becoming the second AlphaTauri driver that year to score.[171]
Lawson finished in eleventh at the2023 Japanese Grand Prix, ahead of Tsunoda in 12th.[172] Lawson endured a rough final appearance at theQatar Grand Prix,[173] where he spun out of the sprint and finished last of the runners during the race.[174][175] Ricciardo was well enough to return for the followingUnited States Grand Prix, and Lawson returned to his reserve role.[176]
Lawson continued his role as reserve driver forRed Bull Racing andRB Formula One Team (the rebranded AlphaTauri) in2024.[177] Lawson completed a filming day with theRed Bull RB20 in mid-July atSilverstone, following theBritish Grand Prix.[178] At the end of July, he completed another day of testing for RB with the 2022AlphaTauri AT03 atImola.[179] Due to poor performances by Ricciardo in the early parts of the season, rumors speculated that Lawson could replace him mid-season, but Ricciardo denied later in the season that managerHelmut Marko had threatened to do so.[180]
Ricciardo was dropped by RB after theSingapore Grand Prix, with Lawson replacing him for the remaining six rounds of the season.[181] At theUnited States Grand Prix, Lawson started 19th due to engine penalties.[182] Starting on the hard tyre, Lawson went long and was able to jump teammate Tsunoda during the pit stops. His efforts yielded him ninth place, which received praise fromChristian Horner.[183][184] Lawson qualified for theMexico City Grand Prix in 12th.[185] He had a contentious battle in the race with Red Bull driverSergio Pérez, and made contact with him, causing Lawson to raise his middle finger at him after passing him a few laps later. He ultimately finished one place ahead of Pérez in 16th, and later apologised as he admitted that it was "not something that [I] should have done".[186][187] After narrowly missing out on points in his first sprint at theSão Paulo Grand Prix, Lawson produced his best qualifying result to date in a rain-hit session, securing fifth on the grid, two places behind Tsunoda.[188] In the race, although he was spun byOscar Piastri on lap 26, Lawson was able to withstand the treacherous conditions and finish in ninth place.[189]
At theLas Vegas Grand Prix, starting 14th, Lawson attempted a one-stop strategy, but a long second stint left him pitting late and he eventually finished 16th.[190] Lawson had a miserableQatar Grand Prix, colliding withValtteri Bottas in the opening laps which earned him a ten-second penalty. Attaining floor damage from the contact, he was left to finish in 13th place.[191] At theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lawson had another troubled race when his front left wheel was not fitted correctly during his pit stop, forcing him to pit again. A mechanical issue later forced him out of the race with three laps remaining.[192] Lawson finished the season 21st in the standings, collecting four points across the six Grand Prix he competed in.
Lawson was promoted toRed Bull in2025 to replaceSergio Pérez, partnering defending four-time World Drivers' ChampionMax Verstappen.[1] At the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix, he qualified eighteenth before crashing out of the race in changing conditions.[193][194] Lawson qualified last for both the sprint and main race inChina, finishing fourteenth at the former and twelfth at the latter following three disqualifications—and a penalty forJack Doohan—ahead of him; Red Bull opened discussions to replace him withYuki Tsunoda after his performances in the opening two rounds.[195]
Lawson was replaced byYuki Tsunoda from theJapanese Grand Prix onwards, with Lawson moving back toRacing Bulls to partnerFIA Formula 2 runner-upIsack Hadjar for the remainder of2025.[2] Team adviserHelmut Marko admittedRed Bull "made a mistake" in their decision to promote Lawson only 11 Grands Prix into his career, adding that he "lost confidence and [couldn't] show his real potential".[196] He finished seventeenth on his return after a strategic error, having qualified fourteenth.[197] Lawson received two penalties as he finished sixteenth at theBahrain Grand Prix: one for causing a collision withLance Stroll and another withNico Hülkenberg.[198] He finished eleventh inSaudi Arabia, dropped to twelfth after receiving a 10-second time penalty for leaving the circuit.[199] He finished thirteenth in theMiami sprint after receiving a five-second penalty for a collision withFernando Alonso,[200] and retired during the main race due tofloor damage.[201] He scored his first points of the season at theMonaco Grand Prix, where he played a key role in helping teammate Hadjar finish sixth, as he claimed eighth. He scored points again at theAustrian Grand Prix in a career-best sixth. He sustained terminal damage after colliding withEsteban Ocon on the opening lap of theBritish Grand Prix. Lawson finished eighth at both theBelgian andHungarian Grands Prix, holding Max Verstappen behind him at the latter. Lawson broke both his qualifying and race finish records at theAzerbaijan Grand Prix, qualifying third and finishing fifth.
Lawson finished 15th at theSingapore Grand Prix, remaining 9 points adrift of Hadjar in the drivers' standings.[202]
Lawson competed in the2021 DTM, driving aRed Bull-sponsoredFerrari for theAF Corse team alongsideF1 reserve driverAlex Albon.[203] He was taking part in the DTM concurrently with his first Formula 2 season.
On 19 June 2021, Lawson won the opening race of the 2021 DTM inMonza, becoming the youngest-ever race winner in the series.[204][205] After a spin in the second Monza race cost him a points finish, he finished second in both races at theLausitzring in the next round, where he was leading the second race until a problem in the pits cost him a win.[206][207]
After failing to score points in three of the four races in the next two rounds,[208] Lawson got his second victory in the DTM on 4 September 2021 in the first race of the fifth round at theRed Bull Ring, which also marked the first time he started a DTM race from pole position.[209] The following day, he went on to claim his third victory in the DTM by winning the second race at the Red Bull Ring after starting from second position.[210]
After four podium finishes and a fourth-place finish in the next five races,[211][212] Lawson qualified on pole position for the final race of the season at theNorisring. Prior to the start of the race, he was leading the drivers' championship by 19 points ahead ofKelvin van der Linde in second and 22 points ahead ofMaximilian Götz in third, respectively.[213] However, Lawson's car was damaged in a first-lap collision with van der Linde, which left him lapping 20 seconds off the pace after re-joining the race. Towards the end of the race, Mercedes gave team orders toLucas Auer, who dominated the race, andPhilip Ellis to allow Götz to claim the lead and secure his third win of the season, which put him three points ahead of Lawson in the final standings for the drivers' championship.[214] After the race, Lawson was visibly disappointed with his second-place finish in the drivers' championship. He said he was "pushed off" by van der Linde and called the South African "the dirtiest guy [he's] ever raced against." Van der Linde was given a five-second penalty for the manoeuvre, prior to receiving a puncture in another battle with Götz in the closing stages of the race.[215] He also stated that he no longer intended to remain in the series.[216]
Lawson left F2 at the end of 2022 and contested the2023 Super Formula Championship with reigning championsTeam Mugen alongside two-time drivers' championTomoki Nojiri.[217] Lawson was immediately on the pace during the first race inFuji, qualifying hisHonda-powered car third and becoming the first driver to win on their Japanese Top Formula debut since 1978.[218][219][220] In the second race, Lawson was on route for a third place, but a safety car infringement penalty demoted him to fifth place.[221][222] The third round inSuzuka saw him qualify down in ninth,[223] but he improved to fourth place in the race.[224] InAutopolis, he qualified second while his teammate was sidelined due to a collapsed lung,[225] and in the race he managed to undercut polesitterSho Tsuboi and hold off a late charge fromRitomo Miyata for the race win and the championship lead.[226][227] Lawson had a tough round atSugo, qualifying down in sixth.[228] A radio miscommunication meant Lawson was left to contend with fifth place, losing the points lead to Miyata by 12 points.[229] However, the New Zealander bounced back with a second win in three races during the second Fuji round, putting him within a point of Miyata.[230][231]
InMotegi, Lawson qualified in third, earning a point and taking the championship lead.[232] However, Lawson spun at the start after running wide while trying to pass teammate Nojiri, and the Kiwi would cause a multi-car pileup which red-flagged the race.[233] He received a drive-through penalty because his team worked on the car during the red flag, and was left to finish down in 13th place.[234] Despite dropping to eight points off Miyata heading into the double-header finale at Suzuka, Lawson praised his team for repairing his car in time for the restart.[235] Lawson qualified seventh, during the first race of theSuzuka finale.[236] However, an early red flag during the race confined Lawson's charge to sixth place.[237] He then took his first and only pole for the second race.[238] He would then lose the lead toKakunoshin Ota at the start, and eventually settled for second place.[239] Regardless, Lawson was beaten by Miyata to the title and became runner-up in the standings with three wins, a pole and another podium, as well as claiming 106.5 points.[240]
Lawson did not continue in Super Formula for2024, opting to focus on his reserve driver role full-time.[241]
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kartsport NZ Schools Championship — Cadet | 13th | |
| Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — Cadet | 12th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — Cadet | |||
| Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — Cadet Raket | |||
| Blossom Festival — Cadet | 3rd | ||
| 2012 | Kartsport NZ Schools Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted | 8th | |
| Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — Cadet | 3rd | ||
| Kartsport NZ North Island Sprint Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted | 6th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — 100cc Junior Yamaha | 7th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — Cadet | 21st | ||
| Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — Cadet Raket | 5th | ||
| CIK Trophy of New Zealand Challenge Cup — Cadet | 1st | ||
| 2013 | Kartsport NZ Schools Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted | 2nd | |
| Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted Yamaha | 5th | ||
| Kartsport NZ North Island Sprint Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted | 4th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — 100cc Junior Yamaha | 10th | ||
| Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — 100cc Junior Restricted | 4th | ||
| 2014 | Kartsport NZ Schools Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted | 1st | |
| Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted Yamaha | 1st | ||
| Kartsport NZ North Island Sprint Championship — Rotax Junior | 7th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — 100cc Junior Yamaha | |||
| Blossom Festival — Rotax Junior | 1st | ||
| Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — 100cc Junior Restricted | 3rd | ||
| 2015 | Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — Rotax Junior | 3rd | |
| Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship — 100cc Junior Restricted Yamaha | 11th | ||
| NZ Top Half Series — Formula Junior | |||
| 2021 | Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — Rotax Light | Josh Hart Racing | 1st |
| Kartsport Auckland City of Sails — DD2 | 1st | ||
| 2022 | Kartsport Auckland City of Sails —KZ2 | 17th | |
| CIK Trophy of New Zealand —KZ2 | 11th | ||
| 2023 | Kartsport Auckland City of Sails —KZ2 | IKS | 1st |
| CIK Trophy of New Zealand —KZ2 | 3rd | ||
| Hampton Downs Racing Academy - Kartstars New Zealand —KZ2 | 16th |
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Team BRM | SAN1 1 2 | SAN1 2 2 | SAN1 3 1 | SAN2 1 1 | SAN2 2 2 | SAN2 3 2 | BAR 1 3 | BAR 2 1 | BAR 3 9 | PHI 1 3 | PHI 2 10 | PHI 3 7 | QLD 1 10 | QLD 2 4 | QLD 3 6 | SYD 1 6 | SYD 2 6 | SYD 3 3 | SUR 1 1 | SUR 2 4 | SUR 3 1 | 2nd | 300 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Van Amersfoort Racing | OSC 1 3 | OSC 2 17 | OSC 3 17 | HOC1 1 2 | HOC1 2 2 | HOC1 3 6 | LAU 1 1 | LAU 2 2 | LAU 3 1 | RBR 1 3 | RBR 2 6 | RBR 3 1 | HOC2 1 2 | HOC2 2 18 | NÜR 1 6 | NÜR 2 15 | NÜR 3 14 | HOC3 1 2 | HOC3 2 3 | HOC3 3 16 | 2nd | 234 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | M2 Competition | HIG 1 1 | HIG 2 5 | HIG 3 1 | TER 1 2 | TER 2 C | TER 3 C | HMP 1 7 | HMP 2 3 | HMP 3 1 | HMP 4 Ret | TAU 1 1 | TAU 2 2 | TAU 3 3 | TAU 4 3 | MAN 1 2 | MAN 2 5 | MAN 3 1 | 1st | 356 |
| 2020 | M2 Competition | HIG 1 1 | HIG 2 5 | HIG 3 1 | TER 1 6 | TER 2 3 | TER 3 1 | HMP 1 2 | HMP 2 2 | HMP 3 Ret | PUK 1 1 | PUK 2 4 | PUK 3 1 | MAN 1 2 | MAN 2 5 | MAN 3 3 | 2nd | 356 | ||
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | M2 Competition | Tatuus FT-50 -Toyota | 2nd | 1st |
| 2020 | M2 Competition | Tatuus FT-50 -Toyota | 3rd | 3rd |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Team Motopark | LEC 1 1 | LEC 2 4 | PAU 1 1 | PAU 2 Ret | HOC 1 3 | HOC 2 5 | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 Ret | HUN 1 3 | HUN 2 10 | RBR 1 | RBR 2 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | CAT 1 1 | CAT 2 6 | MNZ 1 Ret | MNZ 2 1 | 2nd | 179 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | MP Motorsport | CAT FEA NC | CAT SPR 17 | LEC FEA 9 | LEC SPR 5 | RBR FEA 14 | RBR SPR 25 | SIL FEA 8 | SIL SPR 3 | HUN FEA 16 | HUN SPR 9 | SPA FEA 12 | SPA SPR 19 | MNZ FEA 7 | MNZ SPR 2 | SOC FEA 18 | SOC SPR 8 | 11th | 41 | ||
| 2020 | Hitech Grand Prix | RBR FEA 6 | RBR SPR 1 | RBR‡ FEA 8 | RBR SPR Ret | HUN FEA Ret | HUN SPR Ret | SIL FEA 1 | SIL SPR 4 | SIL FEA 3 | SIL SPR 5 | CAT FEA 2 | CAT SPR 7 | SPA FEA 9 | SPA SPR 3 | MNZ FEA 6 | MNZ SPR 7 | MUG FEA 10 | MUG SPR 1 | 5th | 143 |
‡ Half points were awarded, as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed.
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  MP Motorsport | Dallara F3 2019 | 15th | 20th | 7th |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hitech Grand Prix | BHR SP1 1 | BHR SP2 Ret | BHR FEA 3 | MCO SP1 9 | MCO SP2 DSQ | MCO FEA 7 | BAK SP1 Ret | BAK SP2 7 | BAK FEA 6 | SIL SP1 7 | SIL SP2 5 | SIL FEA 11 | MNZ SP1 5 | MNZ SP2 4 | MNZ FEA Ret | SOC SP1 Ret | SOC SP2 C | SOC FEA 7 | JED SP1 2 | JED SP2 Ret | JED FEA 9‡ | YMC SP1 5 | YMC SP2 6 | YMC FEA 20† | 9th | 103 | ||||
| 2022 | Carlin | BHR SPR 3 | BHR FEA 2 | JED SPR 1 | JED FEA Ret | IMO SPR 8 | IMO FEA Ret | CAT SPR 9 | CAT FEA 9 | MCO SPR 8 | MCO FEA Ret | BAK SPR 3 | BAK FEA 15 | SIL SPR 20 | SIL FEA 3 | RBR SPR Ret | RBR FEA 10 | LEC SPR 1 | LEC FEA 6 | HUN SPR 6 | HUN FEA 7 | SPA SPR 1 | SPA FEA 3 | ZAN SPR 4 | ZAN FEA 12 | MNZ SPR 5 | MNZ FEA 13 | YMC SPR 1 | YMC FEA 3 | 3rd | 149 |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
† Driver did not finish the race, but were classified, as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Red BullAF Corse | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | MNZ 1 1 | MNZ 2 13 | LAU 1 2 | LAU 2 2 | ZOL 1 Ret | ZOL 2 3 | NÜR 1 13 | NÜR 2 Ret | RBR 1 1 | RBR 2 1 | ASS 1 3 | ASS 2 2 | HOC 1 4 | HOC 2 2 | NOR 1 3 | NOR 2 NC | 2nd | 227 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Team Mugen | Honda | FUJ 13 | FUJ 5 | SUZ 4 | AUT 12 | SUG 5 | FUJ 12 | MOT 133 | SUZ 6‡ | SUZ 21 | 2nd | 106.5 |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Scuderia AlphaTauri | AlphaTauriAT03 | Red BullRBPTH001 1.6V6t | BHR | SAU | AUS | EMI | MIA | ESP | MON | AZE | CAN | GBR | AUT | FRA | HUN | BEL TD | NED | ITA | SIN | JPN | USA | MXC TD | SAP | – | – | |||
| Oracle Red Bull Racing | Red BullRB18 | ABU TD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Scuderia AlphaTauri | AlphaTauriAT04 | HondaRBPTH001 1.6V6t | BHR | SAU | AUS | AZE | MIA | MON | ESP | CAN | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED 13 | ITA 11 | SIN 9 | JPN 11 | QAT 17 | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | ABU | 20th | 2 | ||
| 2024 | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | RBVCARB 01 | HondaRBPTH002 1.6V6t | BHR | SAU | AUS | JPN | CHN | MIA | EMI | MON | CAN | ESP | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | AZE | SIN | USA 9 | MXC 16 | SAP 9 | LVG 16 | QAT 14 | ABU 17† | 21st | 4 |
| 2025 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | Red BullRB21 | HondaRBPTH003 1.6V6t | AUS Ret | CHN 12 | 14th* | 36* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | Racing BullsVCARB 02 | JPN 17 | BHR 16 | SAU 12 | MIA Ret | EMI 14 | MON 8 | ESP 11 | CAN Ret | AUT 6 | GBR Ret | BEL 8 | HUN 8 | NED 12 | ITA 14 | AZE 5 | SIN 15 | USA 11 | MXC Ret | SAP 7 | LVG 14 | QAT | ABU | ||||||
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.
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