Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson – biography, career and results

Quick facts

Who is Liam Lawson?

Liam Lawson belongs to that small group of New Zealand racers who made the journey from home karting tracks to the top of Europe's and Asia's junior single-seater ladder in remarkably short order. As a teenager he collected championship after championship back home, and from 2017 onward he proved himself on a different continent, in a different category, almost every single year — from Australia through Germany to Japan.

What makes his career especially interesting is its variety. Lawson didn't simply work his way up the usual Formula 3-to-Formula 2 ladder — along the way he also raced touring cars in the DTM and competed in Japan's Super Formula, with real success in both. He has been part of the Red Bull junior programme since 2019, and spent years preparing as a test and reserve driver for the day he would finally get a real shot in a Formula 1 car.

That day came unexpectedly, in the summer of 2023, triggered by an injury to someone else. Since then he has driven for two teams within the Red Bull family.

The early years

Lawson started out as a child at the Mount Wellington kart track in Auckland, and his talent showed early: in 2014 he won several New Zealand karting championships. In 2015 he moved into cars, won the SpeedSport scholarship, and marked his debut in Formula First by taking the Rookie of the Year title straight away.

In 2016, aged just 15, he entered the local F1600 (Formula Ford) championship and won the title by taking 14 of the season's 15 races — making him, at the time, the youngest Formula Ford champion the world had seen.

Junior career

After his early success at home, Lawson's career really gathered pace from 2017, when he tried his hand at one international Formula 4 series after another before stepping up to Formula 3 and Formula 2.

The 2019 season proved to be a turning point: as a rookie, Lawson won the Toyota Racing Series and, with it, the New Zealand Grand Prix, becoming the first New Zealander to win the title since Nick Cassidy in 2013. That same year he was already racing in European Formula 3 and the Euroformula Open too, a heavy load to carry as a 17-year-old.

In 2021, while still a Formula 2 driver, he proved himself in a completely different discipline: driving a Ferrari 488 GT3 for Red Bull AF Corse in Germany's DTM championship, alongside teammate Alex Albon. He won on his debut at Monza, making him the youngest race winner in DTM history. He closed the season with three wins and lost out to Maximilian Götz in the standings only after a team-orders row around the finale.

The road to Formula 1

Lawson's results during his Formula 3 years had already caught Red Bull's eye: in February 2019 he joined the energy drink company's junior programme. His Formula 2 form — particularly the podium finish in the standings with Carlin in 2022 — convinced Red Bull he was ready to be competitive in F1 as well.

Between 2022 and 2024 he served as official test and reserve driver for AlphaTauri, and then for RB, the team it became, while also putting in regular simulator work and free-practice outings. In the middle of all that, in 2023, he also raced a full season in Japan's Super Formula — a season that ended up turning him, almost overnight, from reserve driver into an actual F1 racer.

Formula 1 career

Lawson made his debut for AlphaTauri at the Dutch Grand Prix on 27 August 2023, stepping in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. He deputised for five races, and at the Singapore round he already scored a point, finishing ninth in his first full race weekend.

In 2024 he returned once more as a stand-in, this time from the United States Grand Prix onward, after the team chose him over Ricciardo again following the Singapore round. Over the rest of the season he crossed the line in the points on several occasions, finishing ninth, and in Brazil he even qualified fifth in the wet.

In December 2024, Red Bull announced that Lawson would replace Sergio Pérez as Max Verstappen's teammate at the senior team from 2025. The dream proved short-lived: after just two races — the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix — Red Bull swapped him out for Yuki Tsunoda, who took over from the Japanese Grand Prix, while Lawson returned to Racing Bulls, the team's earlier RB/AlphaTauri guise. The switch caused a real stir in the Formula 1 paddock, and even Christian Horner admitted the call hadn't been his to make.

Back at Racing Bulls, Lawson gradually found his footing: he added several more points finishes through the rest of 2025, and the team showed its faith in him by keeping him on for 2026. He's spending the 2026 season — his first genuinely uninterrupted full season in F1 — alongside his new teammate, rising talent Arvid Lindblad, at Racing Bulls, driving car number 30. Heading into the summer break he sits at the top of the midfield in both the team and drivers' standings, the best-placed driver outside the top teams, with results that include sixth-place finishes in Monaco and Great Britain.

Racing alongside Formula 1

One of the distinctive features of Lawson's career is that he never gave up on other categories even as his Formula 1 role was taking shape. In 2023, while working as AlphaTauri's reserve driver, he raced a full season in Japan's Super Formula for Team Mugen. He won straight out of the gate on his first race — becoming the first driver since 1978 to win on debut in Japan's top single-seater category — and closed out the season with a pole position and several wins, only to lose out to Ritomo Miyata in a dramatic finale at Suzuka, finishing second overall.

Notable results outside Formula 1

Career timeline

• 2014 – karting championship titles in New Zealand
• 2016 – New Zealand Formula Ford champion, at the time the youngest Formula Ford champion in the world
• 2019 – joins the Red Bull Junior Team; Toyota Racing Series champion and New Zealand Grand Prix winner
• 2021 – 2nd in the DTM standings with Red Bull AF Corse's Ferrari; Formula 2 season with Hitech
• 2022 – 3rd in the Formula 2 standings with Carlin
• 2023 – 2nd in the Super Formula standings in Japan; Formula 1 debut for AlphaTauri in August
• 2024 – returns to RB from the United States Grand Prix through the end of the season
• 2025 – brief stint at Oracle Red Bull Racing as Verstappen's teammate, then returns to Racing Bulls
• 2026 – full season at Racing Bulls alongside teammate Arvid Lindblad

Facts about Liam Lawson's career

• He chose number 30 as his race number and has kept it ever since, because it's been his number since he was eight years old, back in his karting days.
• His win on his DTM debut at Monza in 2021 made him the youngest race winner in DTM history.
• In 2023 he became the first driver since 1978 to win on debut in Japan's Super Formula.
• In 2019, as a rookie, he won both the Toyota Racing Series and the New Zealand Grand Prix in the same year, becoming the first New Zealander to win the title since 2013.
• Between 2023 and 2025 he raced in three different Formula 1 team liveries (AlphaTauri, RB, Red Bull Racing, and then Racing Bulls again).
• In 2024, in the wet qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix, he took fifth on the grid, one of the best qualifying results of his F1 career.

Frequently asked questions about Liam Lawson's career

When did Liam Lawson start racing?

He started as a child at the Mount Wellington kart track in Auckland, then won several domestic karting championships in 2014, before moving into cars in 2015.

What championship did Liam Lawson win before Formula 1?

His most important junior titles include the 2016 New Zealand Formula Ford championship and the 2019 Toyota Racing Series, the latter capped off with victory at the New Zealand Grand Prix.

How did Liam Lawson make it to Formula 1?

His Formula 3 and Formula 2 results caught Red Bull's attention, and he had been part of their junior programme since 2019. He spent years preparing as a test and reserve driver at AlphaTauri, until an injury suddenly forced him into a race seat in 2023.

Did Liam Lawson race in DTM?

Yes — in 2021 he drove a Red Bull AF Corse Ferrari in the DTM, alongside teammate Alex Albon. He won on his debut at Monza and finished second in the championship after a controversial finale.

What happened to Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing in 2025?

He became Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull Racing for 2025, but after just two races, following a difficult start, he was swapped out for Yuki Tsunoda and returned to Racing Bulls.

What series did Liam Lawson race in outside Formula 1?

He has competed in, among others, Australian and German Formula 4, the Euroformula Open, FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2, Germany's DTM, and Japan's Super Formula.

How is Liam Lawson's 2026 season going?

In 2026 he's driving his first full, uninterrupted Formula 1 season, at Racing Bulls alongside teammate Arvid Lindblad. Heading into the summer break he leads the field outside the top teams, with results including sixth-place finishes in Monaco and Britain.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Liam Lawson
• FIA Formula 2 – Liam Lawson, F2 Hall of Fame
• FIA Formula 3 – Liam Lawson, F3 Hall of Fame
• Formula1.com – Lawson confirmed as Verstappen's Red Bull team mate for 2025
• ESPN – Red Bull driver swap: Liam Lawson demoted to RB as Yuki Tsunoda promoted
• Formula1.com – Lawson reveals emotions on keeping Racing Bulls seat for 2026
• Formula1.com – Half-term report: Racing Bulls' best and worst moments from 2026
• The Race – How Lawson's changed his F1 narrative during 2026
• Motorsport.com – Norisring DTM: Götz wins title after Mercedes imposes team orders
• RaceFans – Miyata beats pole-winner Lawson to Super Formula title in finale
• Red Bull Junior Team – Lawson completes Super Formula adventure with 2nd in final Suzuka race & championship
• Motorsport Week – Fraga beats Lawson to take 2020 Toyota Racing Series title
• Formula Scout – Liam Lawson gets Toyota Racing Series seat with M2 Competition
• Formula Scout – Liam Lawson seals EF Open rookie title in historic race at Monza
• Van Amersfoort Racing – Down under race talent Liam Lawson joins the VAR Formula 4 line-up
• Liam Lawson official website – Bio
• Giltrap Group Motorsport – Liam Lawson