Liam Lawson: A Brief Biography
- Liam Lawson’s Early Life
- Liam Lawson’s Personal Life
- Liam Lawson’s Family Background
- Liam Lawson’s Girlfriend
- Liam Lawson’s Social Media
- Liam Lawson’s Net Worth
- Liam Lawson’s Brand Ambassador
- Liam Lawson’s Career Stats
- Liam Lawson’s Race Wins/ Podium Finishes
- Liam Lawson’s Contract
- Liam Lawson’s Awards
- Liam Lawson’s Cars
Liam Lawson is a New Zealander racing driver and competes full-time in Formula One. He started racing in competitive karting when he was seven. With mentorship from three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner Ken Smith, Lawson made his way through the junior ranks quickly. He won his first title in the NZ F1600 Championship in the 2016–17 season as a privateer. He finished second in the 2017 Australian F4, 2018 ADAC F4, and 2019 Euroformula Open championships. In 2019, he won the Toyota Racing Series championship with M2 Competition. Lawson's joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2019. He competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020 before advancing to Formula 2 in 2021, finishing third in the 2022 season with Carlin.
In 2021, he also participated in the DTM series, narrowly missing the championship by just three points. Lawson entered the 2024 Formula One season as a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and sister outfit RB/RB (previously known as AlphaTauri) and was promoted as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at RB following his dramatic exit from the team from the US Grand Prix. Such promotion to a regular racing seat allowed him to take the opportunity to prove himself at the pinnacle of motorsport. Since returning to F1 in October 2024, Lawson has raced in three Grands Prix. He finished ninth at the United States and Sao Paulo Grands Prix, scoring two points each. At the Mexico City Grand Prix, he finished 16th. These results have given him a position of 20th in the 2024 Driver Standings with four points.
Liam Lawson’s Personal Information
Name | Liam Lawson |
Age | 22 years old |
DOB | February 11, 2002 |
Nationality | New Zealand |
Mother Name | Kristy Lawson |
Father name | Jared Lawson |
Profession | Professional Racing Driver |
Height | 1.74 meter |
Liam Lawson’s Early Life
Liam Lawson was born on February 11, 2002, in Hastings, New Zealand, and raised in Pukekohe. At age seven, he started karting at the Mt Wellington kart track in Auckland. Lawson was soon making waves in local karting championships and even managed a couple of national titles in 2014, winning the New Zealand Cadet and Junior classes.
In 2015, Lawson moved into single-seater racing, competing for Sabre Motorsport in the Formula First Manfeild Winter Series. He secured one win and 10 podiums, resulting in Lawson finishing as runner-up at the end of the year and netting him the award for Rookie of the Year. He then competed in New Zealand's Formula First championship where he achieved one win and three podiums, finishing the season in sixth position overall. In 2016, Lawson moved to the New Zealand F1600 Championship Series, where he dominated the competition by winning 14 out of 15 races and becoming the youngest champion in the series' history. From there, he entered the international racing scene.
Knowing he had outgrown what New Zealand had to offer, Lawson relocated to Australia in 2017 to contend in the Australian Formula 4 Championship. During his debut season there, he proved to be the best of the rest, finishing in second spot with five wins and improving on that further by appearing in the ADAC Formula 4 series in Germany, again ending up in second overall. His success soon caught the attention of Red Bull's driver development program, with him even being selected as a Red Bull Junior Team driver when he was barely seventeen years old. That marked the beginning of a profession in racing that would take him to Formula One at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2023.
Liam Lawson’s Personal Life
Liam Lawson hails from a close and supportive family in New Zealand with five siblings. The family gave a joint interview to nowtolove.co.nz and his mom Kristy was happy to mention that everybody is at home and added that her kids have never received favoritism. She highlighted the family's commitment to their children's passions, saying:
“We’ve never stopped them doing what they want to do.”
Liam Lawson's father, Jared, recalls how their lives became more complicated when Liam began karting at six. He notes that Liam was “fiercely competitive” and hated being at the back of the field, which drove the family to support him in every possible way.
In his racing career, his parents made multiple sacrifices to ensure that he could continue on this course. Jared explained the financial challenges of competitive racing; saying:
"It's a great sport, but to race competitively, you need to spend a lot of money on it."
Along with receiving funding, they applied for the SpeedSport Scholarship, and, as Jared later described, this turned out to be the "game-changer" for Liam's development. Despite his busy racing career, Liam never fails to hold on to his family. He gave credit to them, saying:
"I feel incredibly lucky to have the support I do – from everyone."
Liam Lawson’s Family Background
Liam Lawson comes from a supportive and close-knit family in New Zealand. He is one of five siblings and his parents, Jared and Kristy Lawson, have been pivotal in getting him to racing and thus making sacrifices with all seriousness to have him realize his dreams. Jared also remembers the times when things got tough when Liam started karting at six. The family sold its house to fund the early career that eventually led to some excellent results.
Liam's siblings include Leah, Holly, Marcos, and Jessica, all of whom share a close bond with him.
Liam Lawson’s Girlfriend
Liam Lawson is in a relationship with Hannah St. John. Many might recognize Hannah as an individual who participates in racing sports and often attends the competitions that Liam is involved in. However, since public professional details about Hannah remain relatively few. The couple has been together for a period that is not specifically disclosed in public sources. They often share some moments on social media, depicting a relationship that is supportive because Liam is progressing in his racing sport.
Liam Lawson’s Social Media
Liam Lawson is rather active on social media, where he communicates with fans and provides updates on his racing career. He uses Instagram as his primary means of communication with his fans, sharing his on-track as well as off-track experiences. He is found on his official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/liamlawson30/ , offering insights into his life as a Formula One driver, through different training sessions and race-day preparations, besides some personal moments with family and friends. In addition to this, Lawson also has a profile on X under the handle https://x.com/LiamLawson30 where he posts updates about his racing schedule.
Liam Lawson’s Net Worth
As of November 2024, Liam Lawson's net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. The estimate has resulted from revenues commanded by him from his career in racing, including working for Red Bull Racing and other sponsorship deals. The net worth of Lawson is heavily composed of his racing career, which includes junior campaigns in Formula 2 and Toyota Racing Series. Involvement with Red Bull has also given him opportunities to race at the highest level and attract corporate sponsors and private backers who have invested in his career.
Liam Lawson’s Brand Ambassador
Liam Lawson is one of the brand ambassadors of Red Bull, a giant energy drinks company. As Red Bull's brand ambassador, he is meant to promote the brand and what it offers to his followers and fans by using the growing status of Formula One as a means to increase brand visibility. Though the exact sums of individual endorsement deals are not public knowledge, it is at least clear that Lawson's involvement with Red Bull extends beyond sponsorship, as he is a part of the Red Bull Junior Team and therefore could also have equity stakes.
Liam Lawson’s Career Stats
Formula 1:
Races: 8
Podium Places: 0
Races Won: 0
World Championships: 0
Formula 2:
Races: 51
Podium Places: 13
Races Won: 5
World Championships: 0
Liam Lawson’s Race Wins/ Podium Finishes
As of November 2024, Liam Lawson is yet to win a race or be on the podium in his Formula One career
Championship | Podium Finishes |
FIA Formula 1 | 0 |
FIA Formula 2 | 8 |
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) | 10 |
Super Formula | 4 |
Toyota Racing Series | 11 |
Euroformula Open Championship | 7 |
ADAC Formula 4 | 9 |
Liam Lawson’s Contract
Liam Lawson is contracted under the Red Bull Racing team, fully driving for the team in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Red Bull retains an option to hold on to him for the 2025 season, which reflects the commitment by the team to develop him as a driver. If Red Bull does not opt for this, Lawson also has a clause in his contract, that he can use to leave the team and move elsewhere. This seems to be an indication that Lawson's future in Formula 1 is solely dependent on his performance and the decisions of the team related to the driver lineup.
Past Contracts
Lawson's previous career was marked by several contracts which he had with the following teams across various racing series:
He joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2019, thus affording him support and resources to move up the motorsport ladder.
AlphaTauri (now RB), for the 2023 season, Lawson entered the books as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, who was sidelined following an injury to his signature hand. He raced five times that season and will be full-time in 2024.
Lawson raced before his F1 career in Super Formula, achieving a successful tenure with Team Mugen with a variety of wins and podiums.
Lawson competed in FIA Formula 2 in 2021 and 2022, scoring numerous podium finishes that showcased his prowess as a competitive driver.
Liam Lawson’s Awards
Award Name | Year |
Supreme Sportsman of the Year | 2020 |
Junior Sportsman of the Year | 2020 |
Community Sportsperson of the Year | 2020 |
New Zealand National Schools Champion | 2014 |
CIK Trophy of New Zealand Challenge Cup | 2012 |
Liam Lawson’s Cars
Year | Series | Team/Car |
2015 | Formula First | Team BRM |
2016 | NZ Formula Ford | N/A |
2017 | Australian Formula 4 | Team BRM |
2018 | ADAC Formula 4 | Van Amersfoort Racing |
2019 | Euroformula Open | Motopark |
2019 | FIA Formula 3 | MP Motorsport |
2020 | FIA Formula 3 | Hitech Grand Prix |
2021 | FIA Formula 2 | Hitech Grand Prix |
2021 | DTM | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo |
2022 | FIA Formula 2 | Carlin |
2023 | Super Formula | Team Mugen |
2023 | Formula 1 | AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB) |
2024 | Formula 1 | VCARB (formerly AlphaTauri) |
FAQs on Liam Lawson
A. Liam Lawson is driving for VCARB, which was formerly known as AlphaTauri.
A. Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo after Ricciardo sustained a hand injury during the 2023 season, which kept him out of the car.
A. As of now, Lawson has participated in 3 races during the 2024 season.
A. Liam Lawson's best finish in Formula 1 so far is ninth place, achieved at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023.