Carlin is pleased to confirm that Liam Lawson will join the team for the upcoming 2022 FIA Formula Two Championship. The Red Bull Junior, already a race winner in the hugely competitive series, will join Carlin following a strong season racing not only in F2 but also in the DTM Championship. 19-year-old Lawson had his first taste of the Carlin F2 team during last year’s official post season tests in Abu Dhabi in December.
New Zealand born Lawson has enjoyed a strong career to date having secured the Toyota Racing Series championship in 2019 before racing in Euroformula Open, FIA Formula Three and the Macau GP. His talents already caught the eye of Red Bull and he became a member of the Junior Team in 2019.
Lawson used all his experience to take part in a dual campaign during the 2021 season which saw him debut in two championships: Formula Two and DTM, both with race winning success. Despite his young age and rookie status, Lawson put up an incredible fight in the German-based series to take the title-fight right down to the wire against his vastly more experienced rival – coming agonisingly close to securing the championship win with just three points in it. Lawson took the vice champion honour as the season drew to its’ conclusion; his storming display throughout the hard-fought year saw him take three victories, ten podiums and four pole positions.
Switching seamlessly between that and his Formula Two machinery, he took the very first Formula Two win of the 2021 season in Bahrain and three podiums in total on his way to 9th in his rookie season.
Lawson will be putting all his experience together as he joins Carlin for his second season in the F2 championship and is ready to hit the ground running after a strong first test with the team.
Lawson said, “I'm super excited for the new opportunity this year. The pre-season test went really, really well. It was a completely different experience to what I've been used to. The whole team is really focused on the right things and all super motivated going into the season.
"The second year is always a good step having done a year and learnt a lot, so to take all of that into a new team is a great way to start."
Trevor Carlin added, “We’re delighted to have Liam join the team. He is a great talent and we’ve watched him with interest over the last few seasons. We’re very proud and thankful that Red Bull and Rodin have entrusted us with this next stage in Liam’s career. Liam did a great job in the post-season official tests in Abu Dhabi and slotted straight into the team. I expect him to be a championship contender this year.”