Liam Lawson Top 32
No.32 in World's Top 50 Drivers - Formula Scout
An international racing news and features website which covers Junior single-seater racing, Formula Scout, has just released its 2018 list of Top 50 drivers, and Liam Lawson debuts at No.32, with the following notes:
32. Liam Lawson (New entry)
Young Kiwi starred in ADAC F4, then stunned on his Asian F3 debut
Lawson is without doubt one of the drivers to watch for 2019, and the Kiwi made his mark in Formula 4 and 3 this year.
After impressing massively in the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout at the end of 2017, Lawson switched from Australian to ADAC Formula 4 with Van Amersfoort Racing.
The 16-year-old Kiwi starred immediately, finishing on the podium in his first race in Europe. This was followed by two 17th place finishes, but he was on the podium in eight of the next 11 races. His first win came at the Laustizring, where many of his rivals fell due to fluid on the track. He followed that up with a second place and another win, from seventh on the grid, to complete one of the most accomplished weekends seen in F4 this year.
At the Red Bull Ring he took his third win of the season and continued to close on veteran Lirim Zendeli at the top of the standings. It would prove to be his last victory however, with a puncture in the German Grand Prix support event and off-key Nurburgring weekend ending his title hopes, before he took two poles and two podiums in the Hockenheim finale to clinch second in the standings.
Last month Lawson made his Formula 3 debut in Asia with Pinnacle Motorsport, which also supported B-MAX Racing’s entry, and put established stars from Formula Renault Eurocup, GP3 and F3 to shame. Admittedly a new tyre compound for the round meant his rookie status was less of a disadvantage, but over three races he had a combined victory advantage of 35.582 seconds. With a performance so dominant, it wouldn’t be surprising if he does the same in the Toyota Racing Series next January.
Formula Scout follow and report on Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula 4.