Red Bull F1 development driver Liam Lawson hopes to show results in Super Formula to convince Red Bull to give F1 a chance to win a F1 seat for Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2024. .
Liam Lawson, who finished the 2022 FIA-F2 season in 3rd place, was not assigned to the vacant seat at Scuderia AlphaTauri.
In 2023, he will be sent to Japan for martial arts training and will participate in Super Formula from Team Mugen.
It’s been five years since Pierre Gasly won the Toro Rosso F1 seat after finishing second in Super Formula. Since then, no driver has matched Gasly in Super Formula.
Liam Lawson will enter the Super Formula season at the age of 21, the same age as Pierre Guthrie at the time. Just like Gasly was Naoki Yamamoto’s teammate in 2017, he will face Honda’s top driver Tomoki Nojiri, the champion of Team Mugen.
Liam Lawson is trying to convince Red Bull bosses to secure a seat for AlphaTauri F1 in 2024 and does not underestimate the size of the job at hand. In fact, I’ve been following the Japanese series since fellow New Zealander Nick Cassidy won the title in 2019.
“The biggest thing I understood from watching Super Formula is how good the local drivers are,” said Liam Lawson.
“Just because you’ve raced in F2 or been involved in F1 doesn’t mean you’re going to do well right away when you get here. In fact most people didn’t, even Pierre, the first few races. I was struggling.”
“And from my experience in testing, I know it’s really difficult. In testing, the top 10 were all Japanese drivers. So it’s important to make the process as quick as possible.”
Liam Lawson got his first taste of a Super Formula car at the post-season rookie test at Suzuka earlier this month. It was the sole focus of Team Mugen as the team chose to conserve resources and run only one car.
Liam Lawson ran a total of 138 laps over the two days under the guidance of the race engineer, and his best time was within a second of the top. The atmosphere was calm on the second day, but our first impressions of Team Mugen’s Liam Lawson were good and we both agree.
“The team is very impressive,” said Liam Lawson.
“It’s a slightly bigger team than I’m used to working in Formula 2. Everyone is very focused and professional and since I arrived they have been very welcoming and supportive. gave”
“I was impressed with the speed of the mechanics. They were making very complex changes that we normally don’t do in the same session. When they explained things to me, they were clear and detailed. ”
The language barrier and resulting communication difficulties are often cited as one of the biggest barriers faced by “foreigner” racers coming to Japan, but according to Liam Lawson, Team Mugen plans to do so next season. It is said that special efforts are being made to prevent this from happening.
“Honestly, so far it hasn’t been as bad as I expected,” Lawson added.
“Everyone I work with most closely can speak English and the team has done a really good job of being able to explain things to me. If it’s too difficult to explain in words. may be clarified by drawing graphs or diagrams.”
Inevitably, sharing a garage with Tomoki Nojiri means Liam Lawson will face the reigning champion.
“It’s pressure, but you can learn from the best. It’s cool,” says Liam Lawson.
“We’re in a great team and in a great position to play against Nojiri, but I’m going to learn a lot about the car. To have access to the best man’s data is huge for me.”
“At the Suzuka test he was completely open to anything I asked him. He even did a track walk with me, which was nice. But he gave me some pointers at Suzuka, it’s important for me to go to an all new track and I need that as much as possible.
For Liam Lawson, there has never been a better time to enter Super Formula, which introduces a new car since 2019. Admittedly, the Dallara SF23 is just an update to the existing SF19, but massive changes to aerodynamics and new Yokohama tires provide a reset that renders previous data virtually worthless. However, it is a double-edged sword and Team Mugen may lose its edge.
“New aero could be a good thing. We tested F1 and the floor is becoming more important in terms of creating downforce > that’s the direction the car is going,” said Liam Lawson. .
“In that respect it could be good and hopefully we can bring something to the team.”
“I’ve driven a lot of different cars, not just single-seaters, but also DTMs, so I think I can usually adapt quickly to new cars. I think I can adapt quickly to tracks, like the tracks in my country[New Zealand]. It’s an old-fashioned circuit, but you can’t test the car outside of official sessions, so the work on the simulator will be very important.”
Liam Lawson is clearly enjoying the chance to prove himself in Super Formula, especially after two frustrating seasons in Formula 2. He knows Red Bull values Super Formula and a performance like Gasly’s could greatly enhance his transition to F1.
“One of the most frustrating things is the difference between F2 cars and F1 is that F2 judges your suitability for F1. Super Formula is closer to F1 and we all know that. So it will probably be the most important part of determining my future.”
Red Bull F1 motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has not set foot in the Super Formula paddock since the coronavirus pandemic began, but will visit Japan at some point.
Asked by Helmut Marko if he has any specific goals set for him, Liam Lawson said: “It’s the same every season… you have to fight for the championship.”
“But for me, I just want to win. My goal is to go to F1, but I also want to do well in this championship.”
Red Bull has chosen Nick de Vries, seven years older than Liam Lawson, to replace Pierre Gasly in Alpine in 2023.
Asked if Super Formula will be a one-year program, Liam Lawson said: “It’s very likely.”
“But the good thing is that I’m a little older, because in New Zealand I was able to start racing cars at 13.”
“I’m 20 and I’ve already spent two seasons in Formula 4, two in Formula 3 and two in Formula 2. And now I’m in Super Formula, so I’m very lucky in that respect. But At the same time, this year is a very important year for my career.”
Category: F1 / super formula / red bull