BEHIND THE HELMET – LIAM LAWSON
The 19-year-old from New Zealand will be putting up one hell of a fight as he embarks on his first race weekend in Formula 2 with Hitech GP this weekend. But before he boarded the plane for Bahrain, Lawson enjoyed some down time with family in New Zealand, something of a rarity as he’s based in the UK or travelling between competitions for the most part of the year.
The exclusive documentary, Behind the Helmet, follows Lawsons summer at home and gives an intimate look at the man behind the driver, it’s the first piece of this kind featuring the up and coming Kiwi driver.
A life where racing wasn’t an option is unimaginable for Lawson, and he says that he’s never had a back-up plan.
“I think I would have always ended up racing something, even before I could talk I was making car noises and gravitating to anything with a motor; diggers, tractors, anything. It’s funny, when I used to race go karts and in the early years, my peers were still focussing on school and having a back-up etc. But I have never had a back-up, 100% racing has been the only thing I have ever been interested in doing more of and pursuing,” he says.
There’s the speed and then there’s the feeling that you get from the speed.
“The biggest buzz is the feeling you get every time you get into a new car. I guess there’s two things. There’s the speed and then there’s the feeling that you get from the speed. When you’re racing the feeling of being inches away from the car beside you both going at 300kms is pretty indescribable. It’s a crazy feeling. The adrenaline rush is insane. I’ll say and do things in the minutes following a race that I would never usually do, just from the huge rush from the adrenaline,” Lawson says.
“I have my whole career ahead of me”
“You miss out on a lot but in the same way I don’t feel like I miss out because I’ve got so much else going on for me at the moment. I think about like, basically, my career has started so much earlier than everybody else. I have my whole career in front of me so I focus on the really exciting things are happening for me. I’m still pinching myself that this is all happening for me,” says Lawson.
Catch Liam in his FIA F2 debut this weekend with the Hitech team, as the season kicks off at Bahrain International Circuit.
Photo Credit: Red Bull NZ // Formula Motorsport Limited
