Lawson to drive Red Bull F1 car at Bathurst

Red Bull will run the 2011-spec car in a special demonstration around the famous Mount Panorama circuit during the 12 Hour weekend.

While the initial announcement didn't name who would drive the car, prompting speculation that Daniel Ricciardo could make an appearance on home soil, it has now been confirmed that Super Formula-bound Lawson will be behind the wheel.

It will mark the Kiwi's first time at Bathurst and give him a shot at breaking the unofficial lap record – a 1m48.8s set by Jenson Button in a McLaren F1 car back in 2011.

"I'm super excited," said Lawson. "I've never been to Bathurst before so it'll be a first for me.

"It's a track that I've done a lot in sim racing and iRacing. Being from New Zealand, Supercars is a massive series and I've grown up watching it, especially the Bathurst 1000. It's always been one of the biggest events that I've known.

Liam Lawson, TEAM MUGEN

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

"I'm excited to finally tackle the Mountain and in that car as well, in the RB7, which I have had the privilege of driving once and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

"I'm really excited to have that opportunity again at such a unique place, and to see the fans' reaction to the car because I think it will be quite cool."

Lawson will drive the V8-powered RB7 on the Saturday afternoon in a demo session between the two segments of qualifying for the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The F1 laps will be shown live on TV as part of the broadcast.

The 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour will run from February 3-5.