End this knot in our stomachs and give Liam Lawson a new contract – Editorial
If Liam Lawson does not retain his seat for the next Formula One season, you would have to go a long way back in time to find a greater New Zealand sporting scandal.
The underarm, maybe? The poisoning of Phar Lap?
As every race day ticks by without confirmation of his new Racing Bulls contract, the anxiety starts to grow.
They couldn’t do that to him? Could they?
Lawson went from the pits to the points in Mexico, with his teammate Arvid Lindblad and his previous teammate Isack Hadjar (now promoted to Red Bull Racing) crashing out.
Yet, as of writing, it’s not certain the Kiwi will be racing next year after 2027 rival Nikola Tsolov impressed in Lawson’s car during the first practice session of the weekend.
Lawson’s is a quintessentially Kiwi story of a guy who’s had to work his way to the top of the motor racing world without the support of his family’s millions or political power.
As modest people in a modest nation, with limited influence in world affairs, we’ve all experienced this story of “might is right” in one way or another.
And Lawson, too, knows how the cut-throat, money-soaked world of Formula One works.
His demotion from Red Bull after two races was sold as them offering him a lifeline to revive his confidence, but Yuki Tsunoda’s elevation at Red Bull was greased by Honda providing financial backing to him of roughly US$10 million ($17.82m).
This season, Lawson has sewn up the unofficial “king of the midfield” title, and arguably has had a better year than anyone on the grid other than new world champion Kimi Antonelli.
But he’s still an easy castaway for the sport, seen in the way Sky’s British commentators barely or begrudgingly acknowledge his efforts, or the way Max Verstappen dismisses him in his post-practice interview after their tussle in Mexico.
This is why New Zealand is so nervy right now.
When the race for a seat goes from the track to the backroom, a Kiwi from the other side of the world from motorsport’s beating heart will always be at a disadvantage.
So, please, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, put an end to this knot in our nation’s collective stomach.
Give our Kiwi another year to fly.