A last-race tangle, suspension damage and team orders from rival marque Mercedes have combined to deny rising Kiwi race star Liam Lawson a historic rookie title win. Going into the final round of the high-stakes Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in early October, Lawson was looking good for the title.
Lawson was the favourite for the 2021 drivers‘ title heading into the final race of the season at the Norisring and strengthened his chances of lifting the trophy by taking pole position in his AF Corse Ferrari – extending his championship lead to 22 points in the process.
It would have been the first time a Kiwi had ever won the tough championship, which attracts former F1 stars and rising racers alike and has manufacturer support from Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes and BMW. The DTM championship has been Lawson’s alternate focus this year, filling race weekends left vacant by the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Though his team had enlisted the services of fellow Kiwi Nick Cassidy as Lawson’s wingman for the final weekend and the pair had qualified at the sharp end of the field, Red Bull athlete Lawson was twice hit by rival Kelvin van der Linde. The ABT Audi driver ‘dive-bombed’ Lawson at the first corner during the Saturday race then cut the turn two hairpin and speared into the side of Lawson’s Ferrari. The second collision caused steering and suspension damage that made it impossible for Lawson to fight back to the race lead.
In the final racing incident, both Cassidy and Lawson were left stranded in the run-off area and had to fight their way back through the field. Carrying that front suspension damage, Lawson could only watch helplessly as Maximilian Gotz snatched the title from his grasp with the help of team orders from Mercedes. Lucas Auer, who led much of that final race, was instructed to slow down, allowing Gotz to overtake and seal his title win.
Mercedes itself openly admitted team orders were used to guarantee one of its drivers could deny Lawson his title.
Mercedes DTM boss Thomas Jager hailed the co-operation between the teams under his umbrella, saying “every driver during the season benefits. [So] they are of course willing to help the one-team approach in order to make such a great result happen.”
The Mercedes drivers “know what to do and it’s great we are having this kind of team and these drivers. That’s why I can say thank you to all of our teams.”
After the final race, a distraught Lawson lashed out at van der Linde, calling him an “idiot” and the “dirtiest driver I’ve raced against”.
Respected UK motorsport publication Autosport and online magazine www.motorsport.com agreed. Both were clear about the nature of the tactics involved.
Autosport noted “with the end of the race in sight, Mercedes blatantly asked both long-time race leader Lucas Auer and second-placed Philip Ellis to give up their positions, allowing Gotz to come through from third and claim victory – and with it snatch the drivers’ title from Lawson.”
Having made some adrenalin-fuelled remarks to media after the race, Kelvin van der Linde went to ground, but offered some comments on social media at the end of the week.
“Deep breath, here we go: After Sunday‘s race, I decided to turn away from social media and reflect on everything that happened. Liam and I spoke last night. I apologised for the actions that cost him the Championship,” he said.
Van der Linde also apologised for how he handled the media directly after the race.
“I was full of adrenalin and had a microphone stuck in my face as I got out of the car without seeing what happened on TV. I didn’t handle it well and I’m not proud of that.”
Van der Linde also said race drivers were forced to make high stake decisions within a split second of time. Those are not always the right ones and they often have serious consequences.
He was unhappy with the criticism he received in social media after the event.
“The social abuse which I received during the last week leaves a sad taste in my mouth and will take time to process. The only thing I will say to those that felt the need to write those things: You don’t know me, you don’t know my family and you definitely haven’t walked a day in my shoes. Sport is sport.”
He confirmed his intention to return to DTM in 2022.
Lawson, by contrast, says he is not keen on another season after the events of that final weekend.
“But in the future it’s not something I want, not the championship, not the way the weekend went down. Working with this team I didn’t feel so much like a junior anymore. I was treated a bit more like a professional, and that side of it was awesome. But the way the season finished, no, it’s not something I expected or saw coming or would like to be a part of in the future.”
Red Bull has yet to announce whether it will continue in the DTM in 2022, but its motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that Lawson will not be a part of the outfit should it decide to remain in the series next year.
“DTM is over for him next year. Liam will do the Formula 1 young driver test and have a couple of Friday F1 practice sessions. He will be doing the full Formula 2 season next year.”