Liam Lawson arrived as a breath air in Formula One last season. He was given his chance at V-CARB when Daniel Ricciardo broke his hands in a practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The New Zealander was to impress in his five race weekend taster series, matching and even beating his experienced team mate Yuki Tsunoda. As Ricciardo returned for the season’s final run in, questions emerged as to whether it should be the eight times Grand Prix winner or the rookie who should replace the sacked Nyck de Vries on a permanent basis for 2024.

Given the politics raging inside the Red Bull team, Christian Horner pulled rank on their Austrian advisor insisting it would be the Australian who would be given the full time drive for this year. Yet as has been the case with a number of the F1 elder statesman, Ricciardo just couldn’t get to grips with the new ground effect designed cars and just weeks after Daniel was tipped to be replacing Perez after the summer break, the loveable Aussie was gone once the smog had settled at the Singapore Grand Prix.

 

 

 

Lawson tangles with Fernando

With two points finishes in the three races Lawson has driven for V-CARB, the New Zealander has a third of Ricciardo’s points for the year, despite competing in less than 20% of the events of his predecessor. And Liam has been making waves on track too as he upset Fernando Alonso in his first outing at the USGP.

Fernando was unimpressed after passing Lawson down the long back straight at COTA when at the 90 degree turn 12 the V-CARB young gun delivered a switch back move to retake the position, squeezing Alonso to the edge of track limits in the process.

“Man, the AlphaTauri is such an idiot,” Alonso barked over team radio, referencing the V-CARB team’s former name. Fernando was then pictured with Lawson in an animated conversation as the double world champion warned the rookie how things worked in F1.

“Too much action, maybe, from Lawson, who has six races to prove things. I don’t think it’s the best way, but it’s his career at stake and not mine,” said Alonso later speaking to DAZN. Later in Q1 Fernando appeared to weave left and right behind Lawson in the pit lane exit, before accelerating up the hill to overtake the young V-CARB driver in the fashion of a cock rustling its feathers before taking on its next adversary to be the boss.

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“He said he would screw me”

The inexperienced New Zealand driver chose to reveal to the media his conversation with Fernando, in the vogue of a spoilt child confused with his surroundings. “I don’t know, he said he would screw me and I guess he kept his word. I dunno,” whined Lawson in his particular antipodean drawl.

“He was really upset, I’m not sure why, we were racing for P16 and I don’t know why he was so upset. Yeah, I don’t know. It is what it is. Hopefully he can get over it and we’ll move forward.”

Next time out in Mexico, Lawson was ruffling feathers again at the historic Autodromo. This time it was Sergio Perez who he tangled with, causing a massive 60 points loss of aerodynamic downforce to the RB20 of the Mexican.

As if to add insult to injury, Lawson happened again upon the stricken Perez later in the race. On different tyre strategies the V-CARB driver sailed by the car of the sister team, flipping his middle finger at Checo to set up the second controversy of his short lived F1 career.

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Liam criticises McLaren’s choice of nationality

Lawson is trying to make a name for himself within the last six Grand Prix weekends of the year, yet he is being eclipsed by Williams rookie Franco Colapinto, who attracted much of the attention at the recent Latin American events.

With a couple of weekends to relax, Liam Lawson continues to make waves in F1 land. He has fumed at the McLaren decision to run under a British racing license because the team’s founder was a compatriot of the young New Zealander.

For this reason Lawson has called “B****hit” the decision for McLaren to play God save the King when one of their drivers is victorious. He argues that the British based Red Bull Racing mark their triumphs with the Austrian national anthem as the team switched its FIA racing license to Austria in 2007.

“It makes no sense. It’s a New Zealand team, the name is still McLaren. I have no idea,” Lawson told the Red Flags podcast. “Red Bull play the Austrian national anthem and the team’s based in the UK. McLaren’s based in the UK, but it’s a New Zealand team,” he fumed.

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Ron Dennis in charge

It could be young Mr. Lawson needs a history lesson along with one in economics as his assertion as to the nationality of McLaren is incorrect. Bruce McLaren may well have been from New Zealand, but his financiers who built the British Racing marque were British.

In fact on the day Bruce McLaren’s death was announced fooling a CAM-AM test at the historic Goodwood circuit, the team looked doomed to close its doors given the poor state of the finances at the time.

In 1981, McLaren merged with Ron Dennis Project Four Racing to save the financially stricken outfit; Dennis took over as team principal, and shortly afterwards organised a buyout of the original McLaren shareholders to take full control of the team. This began the team’s most successful era; with Porsche and Honda engines, Niki Lauda ad Alain Prost, together with Ayrton Senna won seven Drivers’ Championships between them and the team took six Constructors’ Championships.

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Lawson defends his aggressive approach

When asked about his aggressive entrance into Formula One, Lawson was direct. “Obviously, my goal is not to go out and make enemies of anybody, I’m not trying to cause any issues or anything like that. But at the same time, I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win, and that’s what I’m focused on doing.

“And in this situation, we’re fighting very hard for P6 in the Constructors’, and I’m fighting obviously for my future in Formula One as well, so that’s what I’m focused on.”

With what most F1 observers believe to be a guaranteed seat for 2025, Lawson would be better served by keeping his head down over the triple header run in. Whilst he is pushing for the Red Bull drive alongside Max Verstappen, the New Zealand driver might be better served earning his stripes and concerning himself less with being in the shadow of the Colapinto media storm.

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Hamilton now ousted from Mercedes team meetings

Lewis Hamilton had a torrid weekend last time out in Brazil. In the single practice session the Mercedes driver was in the bottom five and for sprint qualifying he failed to made it out of SQ2.

With George Russell finishing P6 in the Sprint, the seven times world champion was conspicuous by his absence outside the points. Come Grand Prix qualifying, Hamilton again made an early exit in Q1 and on his return to the pit lane he barked “damn car”over team radio before explaining to assembled media: “The car I have right now, it’s the worst I’ve ever driven.”

The race was not much better for Lewis, who came home in tenth but was again apoplectic over the state of the car he had driven. “That was a disaster weekend guys,” radioed Lewis,“That’s the worst the car’s ever been.”….. READ MORE