AND LIAM MAKES 10
Following the surprise that Pukekohe’s Liam Lawson had been drafted into the Alpha Tauri Formula 1 (F1) team part-way through practice for the Dutch Grand Prix (GP), the delight of that announcement was tinged with trepidation about the tricky wet conditions. Damon Hill, 1996 world champion, member of the commentary team, mentioned that he’d been contacted by his old Formula 3 (F3) boss Murray Taylor with news that ‘everyone in New Zealand is very excited’. Now that they knew that Lawson was the 10th Kiwi to take his place on a F1 grid, they were soon trying to list the other nine.
In order of appearance, they are: Bruce McLaren (in F1 from 1958 to 1970), Tony Shelly (one start in 1962), Chris Amon (1963–’76), Denny Hulme (1965–’74), Howden Ganley (1971–’74), Graham McRae (one start in 1973), John Nicholson (one start in 1975), Mike Thackwell (two starts between 1980 and 1984), before the long gap to Brendon Hartley’s run between 2017 and 2018. Ten F1 drivers is a disproportionately high number for our population base, and it is easy to name another 10, at least, who could have scored points in the sport’s highest
