The Red Bull Racing and RB reserve driver shared his thoughts following the death of Giltrap on Wednesday night, aged 84.

Giltrap championed New Zealand motorsport and played a critical role in the careers of countless drivers, both nationally and internationally.

A car dealer by trade, he was made a Knight Companion of the Order of New Zealand for his services to motorsport and his generosity.

Lawson was one in a long list of those who benefitted from Giltrap’s support.

“Very, very sad to hear the news of Colin passing,” Lawson said.

“Giltrap Group has been behind a lot of New Zealand drivers – I think pretty much every single international driver now that has really gone anywhere, Giltrap has been behind.

“From when I was a kid, I always really wanted to run the Giltrap Group visor strip because I always saw the guys I looked up to when I was younger racing from New Zeland that had it.

“So it was quite a privilege to be running that for the last while since I”ve raced internationally and, for me, it was very special that he got to see my debut race in Formula 1.

“That was really something that meant a lot to me, that he got to see that before he passed away.

“Very sad news, and I’ll never forget how much he believed in me.”

Alongside his support for New Zealand drivers, Giltrap played a broader role in the motorsport industry in his homeland.

He was involved in the 24 Hours of Le Mans entry for Greg Murphy, Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid and was the founder of New Zealand’s A1GP effort.

Giltrap counted world champions Sir Jack Brabham, Denny Hulme, Sir Jackie Stewart, and Jim Clark among his friends, along with local names such as Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.

He was a patron of the Bruce McLaren Trust, alongside Howden Ganley and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, which contributes to a range of sporting and charitable causes.