Newly crowned Toyota Racing Series Champion Liam Lawson has picked MP Motorsport for his debut season in the new-style FIA Formula 3 Championship.
The Kiwi driver joins the Dutch squad off the back of a very successful season in ADAC Formula 4. One year ago, the 17-year-old from Pukehoke embarked a highly competitive season in the German ADAC F4 series, taking second in the final standings with three wins, 11 podiums and two pole positions.
During the off-season Lawson then returned to his home country to snatch top honours against strong opposition in the highly acclaimed Toyota Racing Series, producing a run of five wins, 11 podiums, four poles and five fastest laps on his way to the title. This shining performance led to his inclusion in the Red Bull Junior programme.
Lawson now graduates to FIA F3 level by teaming up with Dutch team MP Motorsport where the New Zealand driver joins a very talented line-up that also includes Dutchman Richard Verschoor and Finn Simo Laaksonen.
“It’s great news that I will be joining MP Motorsport for my debut campaign in FIA F3“, says Lawson, “I’m very much looking forward to racing in front of capacity crowds during Grand Prix weekends – it will be a whole new experience. MP is a great team, and they’ve been very welcoming. They have successfully worked with Red Bull Junior drivers before, so I’m confident we can do well.”
“We are very proud that Liam will be part of our FIA F3 line-up in 2019”, said MP’s team manager Sander Dorsman, “Liam has been mightily impressive in ADAC F4, and his TRS championship run in New Zealand was nothing short of sensational. Together, with Richard and Simo, we now have three drivers capable of finishing on the podium – and that is exactly what we will be aiming for.”
Lawson made his international motorsport debut in 2017 to take second in the Australian F4 series with five wins, 12 podiums, one pole and one fastest lap, before coming over to Europe for a season in ADAC F4. Moreover, a one-off appearance in Asian F3 in November last year led to the perfect result: three wins, poles and fastest laps from three races.
