Liam Lawson: I’ve seen Cars hundreds of times

Journalists from the official website of the championship continue a series of funny interviews with Formula 1 drivers, in which not many questions are related to motorsport, but the conversation is mainly about universal topics. This time the subject of the interview was Liam Lawson, who was back behind the wheel less than a month ago.

Q: Can you somehow describe yourself in three words?
Liam Lawson: It’s very difficult to talk about yourself! I would say that I am blonde, and we are not just talking about hair color, but in a broader sense. In general, I’m quite naive, and perhaps quite loud. And quickly, because we have to mention the racing somehow.

Question: How did you come to fall in love with Formula 1? How did it all start?
Liam Lawson: To be honest, that’s when I realized what the pinnacle of motorsport was. In my early childhood, when I was four or five, I loved cars, I loved racing, and then I started karting and became more aware that there are different levels of motorsport. And when I realized that Formula 1 was at the top…

It is important for me to be the best because I am a very ambitious person. I probably should have mentioned this quality when answering the first question. Maybe that’s when I really fell in love with Formula 1.

Question: When was the first time you drove a car in your life? For example, Alex Albon said that he burst into tears when he was put behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time…
Liam Lawson: I cried too! It was at home, in our garage: when the engine of my go-kart was started for the first time, I started to cry. It’s probably a good thing that this happened before I even hit the track! When was the first time I drove something myself? I started riding small karts, dirt bikes and ATVs at a very young age, and the first time was when I was six years old.

Question: Since when did you pass the driver’s license exam?
Liam Lawson: To be honest, the instructor met me halfway even though I shouldn’t have passed! In my opinion you can only make three serious mistakes, and I made four, but my exam was accepted. Although I did have some feelings of guilt, because I realized that I probably shouldn’t have passed.

Question: What did the instructor say then?
Liam Lawson: Well, he said this: “I probably shouldn’t have taken your exam, you made four mistakes.” One of them was that I took both hands off the wheel, and I don’t even know why I did this… The instructor said: “I’ll let you go, but keep in mind that you have to steer with both hands!”

Question: We know you really like the cartoon “Cars”: if you could create your own character for this cartoon, what would you name him, what would he look like and what would his personality be like?
Liam Lawson: I think I would want this character to represent me, and I would give him a lot of my own qualities. He would look cool, he would have a cool car – his car shouldn’t look boring. Of course, he must have excellent speed and participate in races.

He should be like Lightning McQueen, he should compete in the Piston Cup and win it! And at number 30.

Question: In general, this is the main goal…
Liam Lawson: Absolutely right! And one thing is very important: that it is fast.

Question: How many times have you seen this movie?
Liam Lawson: Oh, very often. To be honest, I watched it every other day as a kid, I’m not exaggerating. And sometimes every day or maybe with breaks of a few days. Overall, I’ve watched it hundreds of times!

Question: If you were organizing your dream team, which riders would you invite? And who would be appointed leader?
Liam Lawson: It’s a difficult question. Can I play in such a team myself? Then all that remains is to find a partner…

Q: Some riders did this – so there’s a bit of a gray area in our rules…
Liam Lawson: Because it makes sense! I will act like an egoist and include myself in such a team. Maybe it will be an all-New Zealand team, and if the choice of era doesn’t matter, let Bruce McLaren be my partner. As for the team leader, I’m afraid there will be a serious conflict if I don’t mention a name… Well, I don’t know! (smiles)

Question: Do you want to remain loyal to RB…
Liam Lawson: Yes, I’d rather stay faithful!

Q: We also know you play guitar. And if you could put together a musical group from the racers, who would you invite, and what would this group be called? For example, when answering this question, everyone mentions Charles Leclerc…
Liam Lawson: I would personally like to invite him to such a group, because he is known to play the piano well. Lewis Hamilton makes a lot of music, so I think he would be a good fit too. He probably has a good understanding of the production aspects of recording, so I’d hire him too. I’d even call Yuki – he has a good voice, by the way.

As for the name, I have no idea, no ideas at all!

Q: What was the best advice you ever received?
Liam Lawson: It is very banal, but useful, especially in childhood: nothing is impossible. I believe that if you really want something, you will find a way to achieve it.

As a child this was very important to me because many people said it was impossible to get into Formula 1, but I listened to other people who played an important role in my life. My father, for example, had faith that I could achieve anything I wanted.

And for a man whose childhood was spent in New Zealand, this is perhaps the best advice, because many of my friends gave up on their dreams because they did not believe in them… But I’m glad someone ever gave me such advice has given.

Question: You love to tune the car, and if you had to entrust it to another championship driver, who would you entrust with the job?
Liam Lawson: Nobody! Such people do not exist! I don’t think there is anyone in the entire paddock that I can trust to tune my car. I just couldn’t do it.

Question: What is your proudest achievement in Formula 1?
Liam Lawson: Honestly, the way I performed in Austin this year. I could also mention last year’s Singapore Grand Prix because that race now gave me a place in the team. But still Austin, because before that weekend there was a lot of talk about me returning to Formula 1… And it’s nice that I was successful then.

Question: Where do you want to be in five years?
Liam Lawson: World Champion!