Roundabouts of MK hold the secret to Lawson's street circuit expertise

Driving the roundabouts of Milton Keynes has helped Liam Lawson develop is style around street circuits, he believes.

The Red Bull Racing reserve driver moved to the city several years ago from his home in New Zealand in order to chase his dream of becoming an F1 driver.

Storming through the F3 and F2 ranks, and narrowly missing out on the German Touring Car (DTM) championship in 2021 in controversial circumstances, Lawson is one of the hottest properties without a drive at the pinnacle of motorsport this season.

He made his debut in the sport last season, stepping in when injured Daniel Ricciardo was forced to miss five races with a broken wrist, securing his first points in a gruelling Singapore Grand Prix.

After Red Bull struggled in the opening day of practice at the recent Monaco Grand Prix, Lawson was called to the team’s Tilbrook base to work in the simulator in order to find solutions out on track in the principality.

His street circuit prowess then, he claimed, could be put down to his expertise around the H and V grid roads of MK.

"It's fair to say I've done a few roundabouts in my time," he said, admitting they are the best part of the city.

“Sometimes you have street circuits that are pretty close to it. Monaco is a track that has a bit of everything… The hairpin in Monaco is tighter than most roundabouts in Milton Keynes.”

Lawson’s future in F1 hangs on the future of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and his performance at Red Bull sister team Racing Bulls. The eight-time race winner has struggled since his return to the team, scoring no points so far this season with a best finishing position of 12th.