Liam Lawson opens door to major motorsport event: 'Something I'd love to do'

Liam Lawson has opened the door to competing at the Race of Champions when the event lands in his home country in January.

The Race of Champions, an annual end-of-season head-to-head that pits drivers from across motorsport against one another in identical machinery, is set to take place in Wellington, giving the country's fans a rare chance to watch their own compete on home soil.

Racing Bulls driver Lawson, though, was careful not to get ahead of himself when asked about his involvement. "I'm not actually sure yet," he said, speaking to media, including RacingNews365.

"But it looks like something that'll be really, really cool. I should be there over at that time as well, so yeah, it'd be something I'd love to do."

For a driver who has spent his career racing on the other side of the world, a January event in Wellington would mean lining up in front of a home crowd rather than a television audience, so the appeal is obvious.

The Race of Champions is built on exactly that kind of occasion: a compact, knockout format that throws drivers from different disciplines into the same car and lets the result settle any argument.

For New Zealand, hosting it is a statement in itself as it is a chance to put the country at the centre of the motorsport calendar for a weekend, rather than at the end of a long-haul flight.

Whether Lawson is on the entry list remains to be seen, however, it is clearly an opportunity he is unlikely to refuse if offered.