13 March 2025 - Jared Lawson: Has Liam Lawson bought his dad a house yet?

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Hello there, and welcome into the Sports Fox podcast. A fresh episode for today, Thursday, the thirteenth of March. Roaring into the podcast. That sounds like my mate, Darcy wata Grove.

Oh wow, guess what I'm drawling over right now?

I would imagine it's something to do with what is happening about three and a half hours to our west in Australia, with qualifying practice etc. About to begin ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, featuring one Al Lawson.

I'm ridiculously excited, beyond excited for I hope Liam's calmer than I am. I really to cook hit a right bit of trouble. But look I caught up with his dad, Jared Lawson and Addie yarn to him about the energy this race, if he's changed much of Jared's actually noticed much about Limb and the way he's handling things. And he actually came home. He spent a bit of time back at the family home, eating decent dinner and getting told to clean his room up, So it sounds like

Looking forward to hearing from the father of one of our big sporting stars. A few issues to kick around in the chamber, and today's later sports news as well, So let's get.

Into it, please, let's do it. In other news checking out some of the big news stories around today.

Liam Lawson's tempering any lofty expectations as he adjust to life as a full time Formula One driver with red Ball Hell debut this weekend at the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

I'm not going in there thinking that from the very start we're going to be winning races, qualifying on poland sitting off onto the sunset. It's going to be extremely tough, but for the amount of prep with it, we've done everything we can.

Hurricanes co captain of Sapfuama changed to get back on the rugby field after a delay in his recovery from off season foot surgery. He's been named to come off the bench for the Hurricanes tomorrow night against the Highlanders and Dunedin.

A slow and if you hiccups along the way, well other little nibules around my foot and league, So being frustrated watching rugby put the most wash.

What's like every game every weekend.

And a controversial call and the penalty shootout has seen Real Madrid squeeze pass rivals Atletico and then too the quarterfinals the Football's Champions League, Rail prevailed four to two on spot kicks. Athletico's third penalty, slotted by Julian Alvarez, was later overturned because the referee deemed he touched the ball twice as he slipped and kicked it. Antonio Rudiger scored the winner for Rail all.

Those years in the game, I don't like talk tip.

It up RUDIGERA squeezed it in Real Madrid.

Yes a game.

This is Sportsfix, your daily dose of sports news, how and by news talks heavy.

Huge weekend. Well, that is an understatement. In the motor sport world, especially for New Zealand fans of race cars, Liam Lawson is competing. We're joined now by his father, Jared Lawson.

Okay, Jared, Hey, Darcy, how are you doing.

I'm doing well. I'm very very excited, but probably not as excited as you and the family. Your boy gets the start off as Formula one career, it's starting in Melbourne. We know he's had eleven races, but now it's bona fide, he's in red ball. It's all go from now. A talk about excitement, talk about pressure though, how's that working?

Uh?

Yeah, well the pressures are given, is always there, I guess. But the excitement, yeah, I think everyone's awaited a long time for it to happen, so.

And it's come around. I mean the first race has come around pretty quick.

So he he's excited. I think the whole family, all the supporters. There's a hell of a continuent of people. There's a lot of people who have come across for it.

So that's really cool.

You've had him at home though recently, right, so he's had a bit of like you know, down home cooking and a bit of relaxation. How important is that for him to actually feel that?

I think for him it's very important because he kind of his family is quite it was a close family, so when he's home he enjoys that, you know, the home cooking, the you know they're.

Sitting around playing guitars but laughing. You know that sort of stuff.

So I think it was a really nice way for him just to recharge before he came across.

A massive decompress for him. What it's been like for him since he's been given the seat and the intense engagement with him from the media, from Formula one, from the fans, that that could be overwhelming. How's he coping with that?

Yeah?

Look, I can't even imagine what his phone's doing. My phone's gone ballistic. Go to the last week and a half two.

Sorry, which is which is great, Like the messages of support.

Have been just overwhelming, to be honest, But no, I think I mean he's he's well used to it now. And you know, because he stepped into the into the Red Bull roll in terms of full time late last year. You know, it's just a I guess, a progression and he's had a couple of months to adjust. And certainly it's a lot busier. His his media commitments, everything are how of a lot busier now than what they were last year, that's for sure.

Have you noticed anything different in the way he is leading into this event?

No, I have been looking for for anything like that, but no, he's no different to be honest, he's approaching in the same way I think, and which is probably a good thing, and not seeing anything different about him.

Really, he seems pretty relaxed well, and.

That's why he's got there in the first place, very focused. I was talking on a Yesday editorial piece about the idea of him actually locking in and forgetting all the outside noise and just doing what he does best, and I from what we've seen of his career so far, is adept at doing that.

Yeah.

Again, it's just I guess it's just a year on ye. I mean, the pressure ramps up that the you know, the stakes get higher, a bit higher, you know, and now it's just continue to do that. I mean performance on track is crucial obviously, but I think these first few rounds is Melbourne has never done the track. In fact, I think it's the only drivers never actually driven the track,

I just wondering about the expectation on results we can weak out has been that been laid down to what the expectations are or what he expects himself, because he's not going to shake up the world in the first couple of rounds, but he must have an idea about where he'd be comfortable for this such a thing in Formula one result wise.

Well, it's interesting thing about Formula One as they do the preseason testing and then we all wait to see the first round and see where, you know, where the cars shake out in terms of performance. So I don't think anyone's fully aware yet as to the pecking order, although you know, I think everyone's reasonably confident McLaren on

Way he's developed his craft coming from pretty much nothing up to the to the top of the tree with the help from his family. So he brought you a new house yet.

Jared, No, I'm afraid that's a long way away, still in debt.

Laugh about that, but that's the hra the top of Formula one. You're making, you know, millions and millions of dollars a year. You just get in. It's not so big. How I'm stunned that he's never actually driven around Albert Park before that. It's just over the road. It's bizarre.

Well, the thing is because F two and F three only came here the last last couple of years, and he was of course doing super Formula, so he he's He took James Courtney around in James's VA.

Last year for a lap for a hot lab and.

That was That's about the sum total of the track time he's had around this round the circuit.

And he's spent plenty of time stuck stuck in the sim you got a simulator at home, he's been on the PlayStation. He would have done a lap after lap after lap. Surely you'd like to think he knows it by the back of his hand.

Ah, I'm sure.

I'm sure he's done a lot of summer in the UK before he left them, and they have all there some days, so yeah, he would have done a heck of a lot of some work.

But yeah, at home, I mean he's still got a sim set up.

But I'm not sure if he went around there with Park but it was home, I must ask, actually.

And he just was Liam Lawson when he was at home. He's just your son doing what the son did yet to tell him to clean his room, to bring his distance out of his bedroom, that all that kind of regular stuff. And nothing's changed there, right, Jared.

I didn't not Absolutely nothing has changed there. I can tell you it's still the same as it was ten years ago.

Has he said anything around the differences you said, you haven't noticed anything. I know how reserved he is or empties everything out to you, But has anything struck him in the last couple of months that maybe he didn't see coming?

Not really as a sayman, I think it's because it's been a you know, a gradual build and the way things have worked out.

I think he knew that the seat was coming.

It slight well, a little bit of ahead of time before he actually finally got her, So he's had time to ease you know or ease into it in terms of our mental approach.

So I don't think I haven't certainly haven't seen any any change.

And he hasn't mentioned anything, or it's just that the media attention has just gone.

You know, it's a lot more there's a lot more attention on them, that's for sure.

I mean, when you're in a front running team, it's quite different to being in a midfield team in terms of the attention.

You can well, we're really looking forward to this and that is the understatement of the year for me. Jared, Thanks for making yourself available now. It's super super busy for you. All there are wishing you the best. Ibie drives it like he stole it, just like a good South Auckland kid, And thanks for your time, mate, enjoy it.

No worries and just thanks everybody for all all the support messages and so forth. He's been He's been overwhelmed by all. So that's great, Thank you very much.

Sex got the email yesterday. Looks like my sky burl is going up again. My initial response to that was, I really you want another teen twelve percent of me? What for? And then I looked down the list and thought you know, if I'm being really honest, it's still represents it's very good value for money. It does for me because I'm in the sport broadcasting business. I have to have Sky to keep up with the play. But I'm also a massive fan of Formula one, of Rugby,

We are now in session on.

Sports, and to the chamber we go where we find a crestfallen vern Cotter. Well, he's not with us, but a crest fall and fallen vern Cootta.

Will we call him crestfallen?

He's without Boden Barrett for four to six weeks. Where where will that sit on vern Coott's emotional scale?

Well, i'd understand why he'd be hiding in the chamber with us. This is not great news for him and his prospects. But in saying that, look it's got Harry Plummer. He's not hardly choppl lid of that bloke, is he?

No, he's well, he guided the Blues to a super Rugby Championship last season, of course, But I guess you think to yourself, well, is a team better with Boden Barrett in it or with Boden Barrett not in as?

And I guess, well has he been so far the season?

Look at the Boden Barrett, what he's achieved, what he hasn't achieved. He's hardly set the world on fires.

He Well, he had a really good first half last week, didn't he?

And he scored that try And I think we were starting to see in the in the eventual loss of the Brumbies that he was starting to find that form starting at first five actually for the first time this season. So look, I think he was starting to get back to it. A hand fracture is just niggly, isn't it, because you don't know. I mean, the four to six weeks could be four, it could be six. It might

Yeah, I didn't mean to criticize Bowden Bower because we know when that counts he will stand up. So you know, teething problems early season. He'd have been fine later on on the piece. But if you're relying on defending your title based on the exploits of one player, you're in a power pop. And I'm sure that Stern Vern, who's no longer mirthful vern Cotta, knows that he's got bigger fish to fry than worrying about where his pivot's going to be and how long he's going to be injured for.

No, it's got Stephen Petafetta two coming back into the mix hes off the bench against the Chiefs on Saturday night, so he does have another option there should he decide to use Stephen Petofetta in that perfect role. So yeah, big game coming up. I don't know whether you can answer this question to us, but the Blues are playing the Chiefs on Saturday night for the second time in five weeks.

Why is that?

Because that's the Super Rugby draw. That's the best answer I can give you, the most obvious one, ain't. Why not? Then people are re enthused about Super Rugby. This is one of the tremendous clashes. So it happened again in a short amount of time doesn't matter. Nah, I don't think so. People are keen as about super Rugby strike while the iron is hot.

Yeah, I see.

Even as she was saying that, I'm thinking to myself, well, I'm gonna bloody watch it, watch it on Saturday night. So it's actually very good scheduling if you're just taking a survey of one and that's me into accounts.

Can we talk some boxing.

Joseph Parker was supposed to fight Daniel Dubois two or three weeks ago.

That fight did not take place.

Dubois pulled out pretty late in the piece with a supposed illness.

And now, rather than.

Do the you know, the do the right thing morally and say to Joseph Parker, okay, let's reschedule, he's gone off and started talks with Alexander Usik. So Parker is gonna have to watch those two go at it.

It really brings a lot of muscle to the arm of the only reason you didn't fight Parker is because you wanted to reunify all of these belts and there was a chance that explosed of Joseph was going to melt you and you didn't want that, so you fled. You basically up and ran away. Now, whether there's it in truth to that or not, but now this latest situation where the fight's not going to be rescheduled, you go, No,

Right, yeah, but what excuse me? When does it leave Joseph Parker?

Does it just leave him on the outside looking in, knowing that unfortunately he's not as big a name as either Daniel Dubois or Alexander Husick.

Well, he could think that. He could think I'm not as big a name, but it also think they're all terrified of me. So fine, run and hide. I'll come and get you eventually, don't you worry about that. I'm sitting here lurking, and I think they both know that. Where he goes with his next fight on scheduled, we don't know yet, But I think with Joe, like a lot of fighters, the more active they are, the better

I was going to say, you have to take other people's having spent some time with you on Yeah, I mean you are lots of things patient. Look on occasion you are, We're digressing. Look, am I being too logic would suggest if Usik beats du Bois, then Parker might have a shop a shot at usk or am I just being far too logical for the And he said two more fights.

Basically he'succeed a couple more on I'm out. So if he can defend his belt, there might be a chance or his belts, there might be a chance to go. You know what, I'm going to retire unbeaten. I've done what I need to do. There's no point in blemishing my copybook, and that might be more than likely although you'd expect for the grand outing Saudi rams and go, oh god, give us one warning shot. Why don't you

Yet, Yeah, and that would be twenty four unbeaten fights, including beating Tyson Fury twice, Anthony Joshua twice, Derek Gizora, and if he beats Dubois again, that would be Dubois twice. So yeah, you kind of think to yourself, what else has he got to do. He doesn't have to fight Joseph Parker, does he? No?

But what happens if that does actually transpire. Suddenly there's going to be a whole of the straps up for grabs because old mate's going to walk away from the game, and there's going to be this huge tussle at that next level down amongst the boxes, the pugilists he talked about before, to try and get in there and have a crack at one of those straps, So the waters will open, the sea will divide. Should Usik beat up to bar and leave?

All right? We wake with we wake with patients.

You just hang on and we'll see what transpires with the world of protests.

Were you going to give me that patience for because Andrew Webster tried that on me this week. You've got to show, but show any patients.

I want winds Now, it's the it's the instant gratification that you're desiring.

Sometimes it's the ADHD. I can blame my chemical makeup. That's what I can blame. And I'm going to.

All right, fair enough. On that note, we shall depart the chamber.

We're back in here tomorrow talking about a massive sporting weekend, including quite a bit on Liam Lawson. But for now we will slam the door on the chamber. Come on, vern, out we go. And on that note, we'll finish the Sports Books podcast for today Thursday, March thirteen. But as I just mentioned, a fresh episode tomorrow, jam packed with preview material for the weekend ahead.

Does well.

It's a big weekend and for a number of reasons in sport we know this. We've all I've got the thing that we love that. We're looking forward to. I'm going to super glue myself to the couch. I'm going to watch all I can when it comes to practice, and then all of our qualifying and then all of the races at the perfect time. The Formula One season twenty twenty five gets underway Albert Park in Melbourne. Liam Lawson finally gets to take a decent car around the track.

I can tell. I can tell.

We're back on the Sports Fixed podcast tomorrow and for more from news Talks head be Sportlessen to Darcy tonight and every weeknight between seven and eight on Sports Talk apart from Monday when I get given a go there and on weekend Sport with Me between midday and three Saturday and Sunday.

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