Liam Lawson reveals hilarious mishap that threatened to derail Italian Grand Prix

Lawson, AlphaTauri — Photo: © LAT Images

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Lawson reveals hilarious mishap that threatened to derail Italian Grand Prix

The New Zealander wasn't quite used to his new F1 kit

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 17 October 2023 13:57

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Liam Lawson has revealed that, having not used one before, he struggled to get to grips with his drinks tube, and ended up driving three laps with it stuck up his nose at the Italian Grand Prix.

The New Zealander made the switch from Super Formula to Formula 1 just after the summer break, with Daniel Ricciardo unable to race for AlphaTauri due to a broken bone in his left hand sustained at the Dutch GP.

Lawson drove superbly during his five race stint in the sport, and may have put himself into contention for a seat with Red Bull in 2025, after spending 2024 as their reserve driver.

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It wasn't all plain sailing for the 21-year-old, however. Speaking to Newshub, Lawson has revealed a brilliant nose-based incident left him feeling a bit silly at the Italian GP.

"We get a drinks tube which, for me, is a new thing," he said.

"I never had that before to the point where I'm really not used to using it, and it's quite awkward.

Liam Lawson sparkled when deputising for Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri have had a bit of a dilemma choosing between three very talented drivers for 2024

It would have been interesting to see the reaction of the likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, if Lawson had to pit to fix the issue

"The first time I used it in Italy I didn't cut the tube or anything I just left it how it was in the helmet and when I went to use it, it got stuck, it basically got flicked up and got stuck in my nose.

"I had three laps of driving, and my hands are on the wheel right, so I can't do anything, I can't get this thing out of my nose and I'm stressing like 'oh my god this is gonna be like this for the rest of the race, I'm gonna have a tube stuck up there.'"

Safety car saves Lawson's blushes

Although it's a very comical moment for F1 fans, having a drinks tube stuck up your nose whilst driving at high speed probably isn't the safest thing to happen.

Lawson may have had to come into the pits to sort it out, which would have caused a considerable amount of embarrassment.

Thankfully for the young New Zealander, that embarrassment was avoided.

"Luckily, we had a safety car a couple of laps later and I could get my hand up there and reach it out, and I didn't drink for the rest of the race," he concluded.