‘Excited’ Lawson gets Spa F1 drive
Free practice chance for Kiwi to show his skills
Kiwi Liam Lawson gets his chance to play with the big boys this weekend, driving an Alpha Tauri Formula One car during free practice at Spa Francorchamps.
A new FIA mandate this year directed F1 teams to allow young drivers at least twice a year to test at a F1 event, and this weekend Lawson gets his chance in Pierre Gasly’s car.
Spa is an old-school track that will test the 20-year-old but his role will not be to set any lap records, rather do simulation runs checking tyre wear and gathering information for the team.
A saving grace for Lawson is that this is not his first time in a F1 car. The Kiwi had a chance to test late last year at Abu Dhabi, finishing second fastest.
Lawson has raced at Spa in the past and been on the podium
“I’m super excited to be doing my test at Spa,” said Lawson. “I honestly couldn’t think of a better place to do it at such a historic track and a place I’ve always enjoyed driving at.
“To do it in a Formula One car is even better. I’ve been doing a lot of simulator work this year so the preparation has been really good.
“I’m really excited to be back in a Formula One car. The seat fitting went well and we nailed it first time, which is rare for me. We messed it up last time and I’m quite particular about getting it right. A bit OCD really, but this time we got it perfectly symmetrical,” he said.
Lawson has had an up and down Formula Two season. He started strongly, getting on the podium in each of his first three races. The next seven races didn’t realise his earlier pace and it wasn’t until Baku (Azerbaijan) he was again on the podium. He followed that with a win at Paul Ricard in Marseille and now sits eighth on the points table with fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong 11th.
If Lawson puts on a good show and is able to give valuable feedback to the engineers and mechanics, he might put himself in the frame for drive in 2023 as Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda’s seat has yet to be confirmed for next season’s racing.
But it’s a pretty crowded market with several fast young guns wanting to get a F1 seat.
It is reputed that Red Bull’s driver adviser Helmut Marko is a fan of Lawson, so that could play out rather well for the New Zealander.
The last F1 driver from New Zealand was Brendon Hartley, who drove for the Red Bull feeder team Toro Rosso in 2017 and 2018, making 25 starts.
Hartley finished 19th in the championship, picking up four points. He wasn’t retained for the next season and returned to endurance racing, winning two world championships and another two Le Mans 24 Hour races.