Liam Lawson has partly credited his swift adaptation to Formula 1 to holding conversations with compatriot and Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen.
Lawson has been afforded a rare opportunity to showcase his talents to the Red Bull bosses by being called up to stand in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri.
Having first stepped into the AT04 for FP3 at Zandvoort, the New Zealander has now competed in his first two grands prix, with a best finish of 11th at Monza last weekend.
The rookie, who has served as Red Bull’s reserve driver since June 2022, has immediately been on the pace despite a lack of familiarity with the machinery he has been provided.
However, the 21-year-old has assembled a wealth of experience beyond his Formula 2 and 3 campaigns, having finished as runner-up in the 2021 DTM championship and currently sitting second in the Japanese Super Formula series.
“I mean, they’re obviously all very different,” Lawson said of his varied racing experience. “It’s not like DTM specifically helps Formula 1, or Formula 2 specifically helps, but I guess [it helps] being able to adapt to different things and doing it quite quickly.
“Zandvoort, that was something that was the most challenging for me ever in that situation. So I think for sure it helps having that variety of things to drive.”
Lawson also revealed that he received advice from compatriot and three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
“I have a close friend, he’s a fellow driver, Shane van Gisbergen, who drives everything different, whether it’s dirt or tarmac or cars or bikes. He does everything and he’s extremely good at adapting to different things, so I think it helps,” Lawson continued.
In July, Van Gisbergen won on his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course.
“A lot of the New Zealand drivers have been to me and he’s somebody that I was lucky enough to meet quite young.
“But I think also, because for New Zealand it’s very difficult to make it to the top in any direction you go in motorsport, so we all stay quite connected and speak with each other and that’s quite cool to have those relationships.”
In covering for Ricciardo, Lawson has become New Zealand’s 10th F1 driver, garnering plenty of support from his home nation.
“It’s pretty big and since the weekend as well it’s been really awesome to see it,” he added.
“We’ve had a lot of messages and a lot of people have followed this journey very closely for a lot of years. It’s definitely something pretty cool for New Zealand.”
