Liam Lawson recently revealed the man who pulled him into racing: his compatriot and schoolmate Matthew Payne. The Red Bull reserve driver revealed that he grew up racing with Payne, and he’s “arguably” the reason Lawson is a racing driver now.
Speaking to Fox Sports Australia on the occasion of the Australian Grand Prix, Lawson stated, “Matthew is arguably the reason I’m a racing driver… I didn’t have a racing background, so it wasn’t like my parents knew what to do with that. I went to pre-school with Matthew, and I’ve known him since I was two.”
Following this, he added, “He started go-karts just when we moved to primary school, so he was probably six years old, and we went and watched him, and that was basically how we knew what the sport was, and that’s how I got into it. So yeah, we grew up racing each other…”
Payne, Lawson‘s childhood friend and schoolmate, is a 21-year-old racing driver from Auckland, New Zealand. He is currently competing in the Supercars Championship and driving the #19 Ford Mustang GT for Grove Racing. Growing up, Payne’s fortune did not side with him much in order to break into the most elite form of motorsport. However, it was the exact opposite for Lawson.
The Hastings-born driver’s talent got him into Red Bull Driver Academy, and that changed his destiny, to say the least. The 22-year-old soon got into Formula 3, followed by Formula 2, and in 2023 finally into Formula 1. After he made an impressive cameo for AlphaTauri, currently RB, his career changed, dramatically.
Liam Lawson and his ultimate Red Bull opportunity?
Red Bull called Liam Lawson to replace an injured Daniel Ricciardo in the Netherlands last year. Without much ado, he got into the AT04 and delivered a race like a pro. Even though the car did not have anything significant to offer, Lawson still managed to carry out an impressive debut.
The 22-year-old raced for five straight Grand Prix, and judging by his continuous prowess, one could expect him to land a seat in the Faenza-based team for the 2024 season. Lawson, who picked up two points in five races despite driving an AlphaTauri, somewhat believed the same.
However, the Red Bull fraternity decided to stick with the Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda pairing for the 2024 season. This brought Lawson into a reserve driver role for Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB.
Interestingly, the Austrian team might call up Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo anytime soon. This is primarily because the Honey Badger has failed to justify his place in the RB recently. This puts the talented New Zealand driver into pole position for the seat alongside Tsunoda for 2024 and beyond.
