Probably no New Zealander outside the halls of parliament has generated as many headlines in 2025 as Liam Lawson. Here’s an explainer for those of us still wondering: who?

Well??? Who is he?

If you’ve just crawled out from under a rock, blinking and confused about a glut of alliterative headlines and racing puns, there’s a reason for them: it’s Formula One season, silly, and Pukekohe-raised driver Liam Lawson is competing.

Remind me how that sport works again?

Cars go fast.

Be serious.

Fine. The sport is considered the highest level of car racing and it’s been a thing since the first proper season in 1950. While the cars are single seat, F1 is actually a team sport, involving a lot of people, a lot of technology and many, many rules (the “formula” of the sports’ name). The races – which take place at speeds of around 370km – are held on city streets and in purpose-built stadiums around the world. The season goes from March to December and includes world champs, Grand Prix, practice races and qualifying comps. F1’s been enjoying a revival thanks to a fresh pool of talent and fans – and of course the hugely popular Netflix series Drive to Survive. According to a 2025 survey conducted by the sports body, a quarter of respondents were Gen Z. Half of those were women. (Oh, and there was a movie with Brad Pitt released this year that might have contributed.)

And where does Lawson fit in?

He’s a driver for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team (try saying that one fast). Under his belt this season is the Japanese Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix, Miami Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix, Austrian Grand Prix, British Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix, Hungarian Grand Prix, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Singapore Grand Prix, Las Vegas Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Qatar Grand Prix. That’s a lot of passport stamps! And exhaust fumes (though F1 is “on track” to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030). And while there have been highs, lows, speedbumps and hairpins in the 2025 season, his Red Bull contract has been extended to 2026 and he’s now a “senior driver”.

Obviously he’s good right?

Yep, but to keep his place he has to be great, and part of what makes him so headline-worthy is that his position seems to be in a constant state of peril. Lawson “needs to be the one leading the team on the points table, anything less and his Formula 1 career will be over,” writes RNZ sports journalist Barry Guy. His annual earnings are estimated to be between US$1m and US$5m a year, including salary and bonuses, though he brings in much more than that for Red Bull, according to NZ Herald reporter Alex Powell.

Is he what you might call a wunderkind?

Pretty much. Lawson got his start with cart racing at the tender age of six before graduating to bigger and faster vehicles. His parents sold the family home to fund the (expensive) sport and Lawson dropped out of high school to pursue his career on the track. Lawson joined the Red Bull Junior team in 2019, when he was only 17, and made his F1 competitive debut in 2023 at the Dutch Grand Prix. He’s in good company; Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli is 19 and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto is 21. The average age of F1 drivers is skewing younger, between 27 and 29 in the 2024 season, compared to 35 back in 1950.

So young! Is that why people love him?

It certainly helps. That youth gives Lawson a boyish quality that people probably find endearing whether they realise it or not. It also makes his success in such an elite sport seem extra impressive. New Zealand also loves to get behind a Kiwi battler on the world stage – think Steven Adams in the NBA – which is a narrative that aligns with our isolated, underdog identity of flailing poppies. But look at that one go!

And Kiwis love a ‘golden’ girl/boy/them right?

You could argue that. Lawson has joined the respected ranks of Famous New Zealand Blonds/Blondes. Among them are Suzy Cato, Justin Marshall, Rachel Hunter, Peter Blake, Anita Wigl’it, both Evers-Swindells, Eleanor Catton, Jeremy Wells, Kiri Te Kanawa, Israel Adesanya, Kylie Bax, Stan Walker and Jane Campion.

So Lawson’s got a few fans?

Sure does. A handful of Facebook groups and pages count 44,000 members and many of them, judging by publicly viewable posts, are passionate supporters. 1.3 million people follow him on Instagram. Lawson counts a few famous fans too – David Seymour has called him the “definition of a legend”, while Dan Carter expressed support for Lawson after his March demotion. Oh, and he’s had a jam with US country star Warren D. Zeiders.

Any other qualities I should know about?

He plays guitar, wears trendy gear and is arguably telegenic (what used to be referred to as conventionally attractive). And then there’s the wardrobe. Lawson’s ensembles – or “turn’style’ fits” – are dissected on social media, he’s also been a Kathmandu brand ambassador and on the cover of GQ. Fashion and F1 have been getting closer – Louis Vuitton is backing the sport and has committed to a decade-long partnership; the aesthetics of F1 and other motorsports have ushered in an array of fashion trends in recent years, including logo-heavy merch, performance wear and racing jackets; and A-list veteran Lewis Hamilton co-chaired this year’s Met Gala. Expect to see more household name brands dressing Lawson next year.

What else can we expect?

Well there’s the 2026 season and next leg of his Red Bull contract, both of which place a fair bit of pressure on the young man. And hey, one day he could even fill the big, Beaurepaires shoes of another fuel-injected blond: Vince Martin.