Kiwi star Liam Lawson named ‘F1’s new superstar’

Kiwi F1 star, Liam Lawson, is hot property at present. Ahead of the 2025 F1 season opener in Melbourne this weekend, he spoke with GQ Magazine, who named him ‘F1’s new superstar’.

Appearing on the cover, Lawson gives a tell-all interview to the magazine’s Head of Brand, Gladys Lai.

The feature story covers Lawson’s rise in motorsport. It documents his childhood, NZ motorsport background, and how much his family sacrificed to ensure he could follow his dreams. And it also covers how he has handled social media since joining Red Bull Racing, and how Ricciardo handled losing his seat to Lawson.

All eyes are on the Kiwi this weekend alongside Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto. The ‘rookies’ coming into the 2025 season have full-time seats or are making their debut in their new teams. Lawson will be piloting the #30 RB21. He opted for the number 30 to honour his old karting mentor, Mat Kinsman.

Lawson said in a video posted on social media, “There was a guy who looked after me, he became my hero, my idol when I was a kid in go-karts. He ran number 30, and I picked 30 because of him.”

Lawson has the most to prove and the most pressure of any driver on the F1 grid heading into this weekend. He replaced Aussie fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo in September last year. By December, he was confirmed as the driver who would replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. He is paired with four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Lawson told GQ Magazine, “I know that, for the first part of this year, I’ll be on tracks I’ve never raced before. I’ve never completed an entire season either. The hardest thing is the F1 car, which can’t even compare to anything you race in F2; they go so fast that your brain can struggle to keep up with what you see.

“So, I’m trying to do away with expectations. All I’m focused on is getting up to speed and being the driver that my team needs me to be.”

Lawson’s motorsport background is vast. He has competed in many disciplines over his racing career, starting out in karting at age seven. He debuted in single-seater racing in the NZ Formula First Series at age 12 in 2015.

In 2017, he finished first in 14 out of 15 races, becoming the youngest champion in the series’ history. Lawson also debuted in Australian Formula 4 that year, winning his first race, finishing the championship in 2nd place and being named Top Rookie.

He then moved into Formula 4 in Europe in 2018, where he scored a podium on his debut, finished runner-up for the season, and was again named top rookie driver. Lawson made a one-off appearance in the Asian F3 Championship, taking a clean sweep of poles and an impressive three race wins.

He stepped it up in 2019, winning the New Zealand Grand Prix and crowning the 2019 Toyota Racing Series Champion. He then ran a dual campaign in Europe, racing in the Euroformula Open (EFO) and FIA F3. Lawson finished the EFO season as runner-up and scored two podiums as the youngest driver on the F3 grid.

Lawson has since raced in the NZ Enduro, FIA Formula 3, FIA Formula 2, DTM Championship, Super Formula, and F1 with Alpha Tauri, now known as Racing Bulls. He continued his impressive statistics, finishing second in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series in NZ, second in the 2021 DTM Championship, and second in the 2023 Super Formula Championship. He also had a number of podium finishes in Formula 2.

You can see why Red Bull Racing picked Lawson to pair with four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Lawson’s professional racing career and history prove he is an exceptionally talented driver, not just in single-seater cars. Lawson’s results are consistent at the top of the table, and he is super competitive with a thick skin all drivers need, especially in the world of F1.

This weekend’s F1 season opener will be the closest thing to a ‘home race’ for Lawson. Plenty of Kiwi fans will be travelling across the ditch to watch his debut with Red Bull Racing. The weather for this weekend’s racing looks dodgy, with overcast weather forecast for Friday and Saturday and rain expected for the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.

You can find the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix schedule below in local time (NZT)