Kiwi Formula 1 star Liam Lawson could be parachuted into a Supercars car as a wildcard entry during the upcoming New Zealand double-header.
MotorRacing 360’s James Phelps revealed Supercars officials have been approaching teams asking whether they’d be willing to give up a seat for the Racing Bulls driver.
Watch every race of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship LIVE & ad-break free during racing on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
The 24-year-old has driven a Supercars machine multiple times, including going behind the wheel of one of Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Camaros in New Zealand last December.
He currently has a month free, after F1 was forced to cancel April’s races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain due to the war in the Middle East and the resulting travel chaos making the logistics too difficult.
That lines up perfectly with the New Zealand double-header, at Taupō from April 10-12 and at Christchurch from April 17-19.
But as Phelps explained, it may be a case of a team being convinced to open a seat, rather than a driver handing him one.
Piastri shows his skill in Gen 3 Mustang | 01:04
“Supercars are investigating getting Liam Lawson a wildcard entry for one of the New Zealand rounds,” Phelps said on Fox Sports.
“I can tell you it’s serious … the only caveat is they have to find him a car. Right now there’s no spares over there, so they don’t have one.
“This is how serious it is – they’ve made inquiries to teams asking if they’ve got any drivers who would give him their seat for the weekend.
“It’s huge for the sport if they get him there, it would go global. Obviously the teams they’re calling aren’t probably the top teams where they’re gonna be in the championship, but with the finals system the way it is this year, I think every driver in the field thinks they’re a shot. And I don’t think anyone will give up their seat.”
Supercars great Mark Skaife backed the move and declared teams who aren’t right at the top of the standings should give it some thought.
“From the middle of the field back, why wouldn’t you consider it?” he asked.
“You’re not in championship contention, arguably. There’s a couple at the back there that you’d say, could we Red Bull-ify that car to make it a Liam Lawson car?
“You’d still get team points because he’s entering under the same team.”
Phelps added: “They could compensate the person that didn’t drive. The amount of money that would be involved in this as a media and marketing opportunity – the driver who stood by could get a big pocket out of it, and become mates with an F1 star too.
“I reckon he’ll (Lawson) go alright, too.”
Lawson currently sits 10th in the F1 drivers’ standings with 10 points, after finishing seventh in both the sprint and main race in China, and ninth in Japan.
He is just two points behind Max Verstappen, the leader in the Red Bull family.
MotorRacing 360 host Jess Yates suggested convincing a team owner was the best way to get the deal across the line.
“I can think of a few team owners who would love that opportunity … I know Brad Jones likes a deal,” she said.
Discussion about this post