Liam Lawson Hopeful Of Bringing F1 To New Zealand Amid Calendar Expansion

Saajan Jogia | 17 Hours Ago

Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL60 Mercedes and Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 02, 2023 in Spielberg, Austria. / Rose/Getty Images

Liam Lawson, announced as Red Bull's new driver for 2025, hopes to one day see Formula 1 race in his home country of New Zealand. The Kiwi driver has been in the news for securing a promotion from VCARB to Red Bull after the team decided to replace Sergio Perez. Lawson's wish to see F1 in New Zealand comes at a time when the sport is witnessing a surge in demand from several countries that wish to host Grands Prix on their territory.

Lawson made his F1 debut as a reserve driver after VCARB's Daniel Ricciardo suffered a wrist injury in 2023. His five-race absence meant Lawson could prove his performance behind the wheel. The 22-year-old scored points in the short stint and secured a spot on the F1 grid for the future. Little did Ricciardo know that Lawson would replace him next year.

Following Ricciardo's replacement this year on grounds of performance, Lawson was assessed alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen. After the Abu Dhabi season finale, it was revealed that Tsunoda would remain at VCARB, while Lawson was the new entrant in the Milton Keynes outfit. With his dream of racing for Red Bull materializing in a few months, Lawson hopes to see F1 in his homeland. However, the lack of a concrete Grand Prix racing history and infrastructure means there are few chances of the sport making it to New Zealand, especially amid other challenges that potentially disallow its entry. Lawson said:

“The tracks would need to be upgraded a little bit to FIA standard.

“So I would say it’s probably not [going to happen], but it’s something that I would be very hopeful for. Whatever I could do to make it happen, I would definitely do.”

To accommodate the global surge in demand for F1, the sport is considering a rotating calendar for European race venues that take up a considerable portion of the schedule, making way for new locations. Rwanda recently submitted a bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, which could mark F1's return to Africa for the first time since 1993. Speaking on bringing the sport back, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said:

“I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is bidding to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa, by hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

“A big thank you to Stefano Domenicali, and the entire team at Formula 1, for the good progress in our discussions so far.

“I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment, which it deserves. Together, we will build something we can all be proud of.”