Speaking to Speedcafe, Lawson said racing at Mount Panorama is something he wants to experience properly after completing a demonstration run in a Red Bull Formula 1 car at the circuit in 2023.
“Yeah, definitely,” Lawson said when asked if he wanted to race at Bathurst one day.
“After driving the F1 car around there, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to race at, and I would love to in the future. Even if it’s as a co-driver, I would love to do it.”
Lawson’s laps at Mount Panorama came during the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour weekend, where he piloted Red Bull’s RB7 F1 car in a special demonstration.
It marked the first time an F1 car had run at the circuit since Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes in 2011.
After his outing, Lawson called it “the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” having gone full-throttle down Conrod Straight and described the experience as “completely crazy.”
Click here now.
Two years on, and now a full-time F1 driver with Racing Bulls, the 23-year-old said he plans to tune in to watch Sunday’s Bathurst 1000 — and has already made his pick for the win.
“Matt Payne,” said Lawson.
“One of my best mates, growing up racing him, so he’s my pick.”
Lawson and Payne’s friendship dates back to childhood in Pukekohe, where the pair grew up on the same street and began karting together.
The Racing Bulls driver has previously credited Payne with sparking his own motorsport career, saying earlier this year, “Matthew is arguably the reason I’m a racing driver.”
The pair have remained close through their respective rises, with Payne now established as one of Supercars’ brightest young talents.
The 23-year-old Grove Racing driver claimed his first career win in Adelaide in 2023 and heads into Bathurst in strong form, already a multiple winner in 2025 and currently sitting third in the championship.
His best result at Mount Panorama came on debut in 2022, finishing sixth alongside Lee Holdsworth.
View this post on Instagram
Payne has also been one of Lawson’s biggest supporters.
Earlier this year, the Supercars driver publicly defended his long-time friend after Lawson’s early-season struggles at Red Bull, calling the criticism “terrible” and insisting his ability “has been proved countless times.”
Lawson said his future Bathurst ambitions are genuine, adding that a co-driver role would be a dream opportunity if his F1 schedule ever allowed it.
Having already sampled the Mountain in an F1 car, it’s clear the appeal of Australia’s most famous race hasn’t faded.
“Bathurst has been something that I’ve grown up watching,” Lawson said in an earlier interview. “So, I would love to do it.”
Discussion about this post