Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): “My family has given up so much...”

The path to the top of motorsport is difficult, expensive and, for many young drivers, a dream that never comes true. Only 22 drivers per season – and as few as 20 up to and including 2025 – can realise their dream of racing in Formula 1. On the way there, hundreds of thousands – usually millions – of euros have been invested to compete in karting and later in the junior series. As well as talent, it takes money, sponsors and plenty of tenacity, ambition and, sometimes, a touch of luck. And there is another price that must be paid, one that is often overlooked: the emotional toll. For the driver, but also for his family.

Is a Formula 1 driver happy?

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson now speaks about this with surprising candour on the ‘High Performance Podcast’. The New Zealander says: “People probably think I’m a lot happier because of the position I’m in.” Here, he uses the word ‘happy’, not ‘lucky’. So he is referring to his emotional state, not the circumstances of his professional situation.

Lawson: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t realise how lucky I am to be here (here he uses the word ‘lucky’, ed.). But precisely because we’re so focused and determined in working towards this one goal, I feel that I won’t be happy (happy, note) until I’ve achieved it. Of course, I have moments when I’m happy; it’s not as though I’m unhappy all the time, but overall, in my life at the moment...”

Family gave their all for Lawson’s racing career

And it hasn’t always been easy for Lawson’s family either. The Kiwi driver reveals: “My parents recently found this card that my brother had written when he was five or six years old, and it said: ‘Dear Dad, if I like racing, will you spend a bit more time with me, just like you do with Liam?’” Lawson is the middle child of five. As well as his brother Marcos, he has three sisters (Jessica, Holly and Leah).

A career in motorsport takes a lot out of a family: most weekends are spent travelling, and it’s all terribly expensive. Often, families have to move house, change jobs, and spend a fortune on racing... Especially when the up-and-coming drivers are still under 18, parents have to manage a lot and be there (and presumably want to be as well). It’s all very hectic – and that’s when a sibling can sometimes fall through the cracks, as seems to have happened with Lawson.

Lawson is proud of his family

Lawson: “To be honest, my siblings and my whole family have given up so much. Never gone on holiday, never done anything. Just always…” He doesn’t finish the sentence; he’s visibly emotional. “I’ve got a brilliant family.” But there’s no bad blood between his brother and Liam. Lawson: “I told him, ‘Sorry, mate!’ He looks at it now and laughs and thinks it’s funny. But I think back to every single weekend I was away…’ For Lawson, the sacrifices were worth it. This weekend he’ll be competing in his 43rd Grand Prix.