James Allen: Motorsport Commentator previews the Melbourne Grand Prix

Liam Lawson will get his first taste of Formula One as a fulltime Red Bull driver when practice begins this afternoon for the season-opening Melbourne Grand Prix. 

His only previous experience at the circuit came via a lap in a V8 Supercar last year. 

Motorsport Commentator James Allen told Andrew Dickens that there’s no question Lawson’s got talent.  

He says he wouldn’t judge him too much on how he performs on the Melbourne track though, as it has some very strange characteristics and doesn’t really reflect anything of the season ahead. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the Formula One Grand Prix and Melbourne this weekend,
and our own Liam Lawson is on debut. It's his
first Grand Prix in the main seat instead of driving
in somebody else's car. He's driving for red Ball and
he's been on the telly this week.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's more excitement than anything. More excited for this and
I've been really for anything. It's quite a hard track
this weekend. It's meant to be thirty eight degrees on Saturday,
which to start the year like that is quite tough.
Like normally we go to those races later in the
year and it's you're sort of a bit more race
fit for that because you've done a lot of Grand Prix.
But to start the year with a really high downforced track,

(00:32):
high G track, hot, it's going to be very, really tough.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
So modice var commentator James Allen joins me out of
New York right now. Hella, James, Hey, how you doing this?
I'm doing great. This hype is huge. This events to
sell out and Liam seems to be the center of attention.
How are you expecting him to go?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
It's a really good question. I mean, you know, there's
no question he's got the talent. He's definitely earned his opportunity.
He's been very, very patient over the last couple of years.
I was incredibly with him when he deputies for Daniel
Ricardo at the back end of twenty twenty three. He
put in some stunning performances, particularly remember one in Japan.
I think you and I spoke around that time actually

(01:11):
about it, and he showed he's got the minerals. As
Mark Webber would say, to cut it at the top
end of a Formula one, so as I say, he's
had to be very patient, and that doesn't mean just
doing nothing and kicking his heels. He's obviously been able
to get on the simulator a lot of these What
makes these young drivers ready and so prepared nowadays is
they have the time at the race track, at the

(01:32):
race factory, team factory to get on the simulators, which
are very very realistic, and really learn how everything works,
how the controls work, and how to improve the car.
Of course, it's not the real thing, it's not the
same as the real thing, but the best drivers are
able to narrow the gap between the virtual world and
the real world, and so a lot of Liam's preparation
is there and I'm sure he'll do fine this season.

(01:56):
I wouldn't judge him too much on how he performs
his first time out in the big team, as you
put it, because Melbourne is a unique circuit, has very
very strange characteristics and it doesn't reflect anything really of
the season ahead. It's just a great place to start
the new Season's colorful, it's a huge crowd. The Aussies
love their and the Kiwis love their racing. But I
think you know, you judge him after three or four

(02:17):
races as to how he's getting on.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
What I loved about the quote that I just played
is that he already knows exactly what's ahead of him.
He knows it's going to be hot, he knows there's
lots of heavy breaking in the whole thing. He knows
it's going to be very, very physical. So the question
is do you think he's fit and ready enough for it?

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, absolutely, These guys, like I said before, you know
he's one of I mean, I still think Liam's a rookie.
He's done twelve races, but he's not done a whole season,
and in my book, that makes him still a rookie.
And you've got six rookies in the field this year.
It's unprecedented. Why is twenty twenty five the year that
Formula One trusts in rookies For the reasons I just
said that they are so well prepared now in the

(02:56):
virtual world and with testing the two year old cars
that they're come in. Oliver behn And jumped into the
Ferrari in Saudi Arabia last year with no practice and
finished seventh in the Grand Prix. That made everybody in
Formula One the team bosses look it again and say,
hang on a second, We've got this great talent in
are cheaper, you don't have to pay them as much money.
And so you've seen people like Botas leaving the sport,

(03:16):
the more experienced drivers who cost more and perhaps past
their peak, and they're bringing in these rookies who are faster, exciting,
and Liam is right amongst them, and it's up to
him now to show he's obviously got the most along
with Antonelli and the Mercedes. He's the rookie with the
most competitive car in the field, and I think you
have to judge him as a rookie, not as someone

(03:38):
who's going to go toe to toe with probably the
best driver in the world right now. His teammate Max Forstappan.
If Liam's smart, he'll just focus on himself and not
worry about what Stappan's doing.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Great stuff and I thank you James James Ellen joining us.
I'm at a sport commentator. It appears as though New
Zealander's also in the headlines because McLaren at the moment
we know Bruce McLaren has a really good car and
Lenda Norris uars to be on fire. It's going to
be a great weekend. For more from Early Edition with
Ryan Bridge. Listen live to news Talks it'd be from

(04:07):
five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.