Liam Lawson eyes racing outside F1

Reserve driver Liam Lawson has expressed a strong desire to compete in other racing series, like Australia's Supercars Championship, alongside a potential future full-time Formula 1 role. He believes driving diverse machinery enhances a driver's adaptability and skillset, drawing on his own multi-category experience from a young age.

Why it matters:

In an era of increasingly specialized F1 careers, Lawson's openness to other disciplines highlights a different path. His perspective suggests that varied racing experience can be an asset, not a distraction, for developing the complete skills needed to succeed at the highest level. This is particularly relevant for a driver in his position, seeking to prove his worth for a permanent F1 seat.

The details:

• Lawson specifically praised the Supercars Championship, a series he grew up watching, for keeping its cars "raw" with features like V8 engines, sequential gearboxes, and a lack of driver aids like auto-blip.
• He cited his 2021 DTM season as a positive experience, despite its controversial ending, appreciating the opportunity to work with a different team and race in a different format.
• A key appeal of non-open-wheel racing for him is the ability to be more aggressive in wheel-to-wheel combat, using moves like "throwing some dive bombs" and "slamming some doors"—tactics that are largely off-limits in modern F1.
• Lawson credits his early start in circuit racing in New Zealand, beginning at age 12, for building his foundational adaptability long before he raced in European single-seater series.

What's next:

While Lawson's immediate focus remains on securing a full-time F1 drive, his comments keep the door open for appearances in other series. For now, any extracurricular racing would need to fit within his demanding duties as a reserve driver for Red Bull and RB. His versatile background and continued interest in other categories could make him an attractive candidate for future endurance racing drives or one-off appearances, should his F1 schedule allow.