Liam Lawson is a name that many have heard throughout 2021. The F2 rookie stormed into the spotlight by winning the first race of his F2 career back in March at the Sakhir GP. This win continued his unique record of winning a race in the first weekend of every championship he’s competed in–barring ADAC F4 and F3. Not only did he win his first race in F2 this year, but he also collected yet another win in his first race in DTM, where he was once again a rookie. Lawson has quickly become one of the most prominent rising stars in motorsport. 

With 2 race weekends to go in his first F2 season, Lawson currently sits 8th in the championship with a total of 80 points. One of the highlights of Lawson’s F2 season was his race at Monaco; despite being disqualified for an engine mode error. After finishing Sprint Race 1 in 9th, Lawson started Sprint Race 2 from the front row and held on to the lead the entire race. It was unfortunate he was later disqualified. The New Zealander’s other podiums so far in the season have come from Bahrain, where he picked up a win and a P3 in his first F2 weekend. Although he has had some unfortunate luck in many of the F2 races this year, Liam has shown his A-class driving all season. The crucial points and results may not have been what he had hoped for, but with some of the best overtakes of the season, the Kiwi proved he certainly isn’t afraid to stand his ground. 

Lawson after winning in Bahrain (Photo via @HitechGP on Twitter)

As well as competing in F2 this year, Liam spent the year fighting for the championship title in DTM. Not only did he become the youngest ever DTM race winner at the age of 19 in his first weekend, but he was also a strong championship contender throughout the season. His fight was nothing short of impressive. He rounded off the season with a total of 10 podiums and 227 points. He was looking to make it 11 podiums and a championship title if it weren’t for yet another unfortunate race that decided the title for him. Despite knowing it was not likely he would win the championship, he fought until the very end, which gained him much respect from fellow drivers. 

While it’s hard to select a racing highlight from Lawson’s DTM journey this year, the resilience he showed was outstanding. The young driver faced many challenges throughout the German series, but he fought through them all to ensure the world saw his raw skill and passion for the job. The Red Bull Ring weekend of the season saw him bring home two wins for his AF Course team, adding to his ever-growing collection of points and podiums. Once again, throughout the season, Lawson showed an insane fight by pulling outstanding overtakes on his competitors, which unquestionably got the grid talking. 

Fans of the Kiwi were astounded by Lawson’s schedule at some points in the year. There were several occasions where he would be at an F2 race one weekend and turn around to DTM the next. He had six race weekends in a row switching between the two at one point. That’s something only a driver with proper skill and dedication can do. Not only was the schedule in itself demanding, but he also had to switch between two completely different driving styles; Formula and GT. 

Liam Lawson in DTM (Photo via @AFCorse on Twitter)

As well as becoming known as one of the rising stars of motorsport, Liam Lawson has gained an unfortunate name in lousy luck this year. Between incidents and mechanical failures in both series, the young driver lost out on points and podiums countless times this year. While mathematically, Lawson is still in F2 title contention, the array of talent we have seen this year across the grid means that it is unlikely we will see him become champion this year. Still, he has undoubtedly left a mark for himself.

With two weekends to go after the long break from racing, we hope we will once again witness a Liam Lawson masterclass on track. With Jeddah being a new circuit for everyone, there is no telling what will happen this weekend. The high-speed track will give the drivers of F2 a real chance to show what they’re made of. 

The long year that Liam has had both on and off-track has shown what a true talent he is. He will be driving for Alpha Tauri in the Young Drivers Test following the F2 and F1 seasons in Abu Dhabi. There is hope that the young Kiwi is on track for his Formula 1 dreams. From recent interviews, it has become clear that Lawson has been pleased with his performance so far this year. There is undoubtedly a promising career ahead of him, and his skill will only continue to grow and develop. His already sizeable fan base keeps growing, with many becoming increasingly impressed with his talent. Not only has he collected fans while on track, but he also has a growing off-track fan base from streaming on Twitch, where he has developed his community and shared his free time between race weekends with his fans and followers. While we may not be sure yet what Liam Lawson will be doing next year career-wise, it is almost indisputable that it will be something great. Let’s hope to continue to see him grow and bring home more gold.