Francesca Rudkin: Liam Lawson's success is something to be celebrated

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

How good is the news about Liam Lawson.

Regardless of whether you’re a Sergio Perez fan, what you think of Max Verstappen as a teammate, or of Liam Lawson as a driver – he has achieved something extraordinary, something a select few accomplish, and secured himself a coveted F1 seat for 2025.

This is truly something to be celebrated.

We’ve always struggled as New Zealanders to know how to deal with Kiwis who have great success. We love our poppies to a point, and then we tend to tear them down, or at least knock them about a bit. Just ask them. So while I don’t propose a seismic cultural shift and lose our generally humble and down to earth attitude, I do think a shift in how we acknowledge success would be a good thing.

If we’re to become the best little country in the world, we need people, in whatever field they are in, to aspire to be the best. And yes, that sometimes requires talking yourself up to be a winner.

Liam Lawson knows better than anyone the environment he’s heading into - the money, politics, publicity, and egos involved. No team is going to pick the guy who says, ‘yeah, if there’s a space available, I’d love it’. They want someone who says, ‘I can do this, I want to be the best and I will do what it takes on and off the track’.

To be a successful F1 driver you need an extraordinary amount of confidence in yourself and your ability.

It is a mental game as much as a physical and technical one.

In response to the announcement Liam Lawson said, “To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.”

It reminded me of a conversation I had with Kiwi Indie Car driver Marcus Armstrong. I really enjoyed my conversation with him – and I asked him why New Zealand drivers were doing so well around the world, when they often don’t have the money or connections to help them. He said to me that it’s because we sacrifice so much to do it, we must succeed, it makes us want to be the best.

Liam has wanted this since he was 8. Marcus left NZ at 12 to follow his dream. Their success isn’t a fluke. A lot of people have helped them get to where they are, but ultimately, it’s them behind the wheel making things happen.

They’re role models for other young kiwis, encouraging them to be audacious, dream big, and just go for it.

So to all the haters who came out online and had a go at Liam Lawson after Red Bull’s decision to hire him, I say Merry Christmas. No one cares. I for one can’t wait for the 2025 season to kick off – how much more fun is it going to be having a young Kiwi to support.

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