P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Liam Lawson is far from happy with a decision taken by McLaren that stretches back to the 1980s.
Liam Lawson criticized McLaren’s decision to play the British national anthem after F1 grands prix, calling it “bullshit.” The Woking-based team currently operates under a British license, but from its foundation in 1966 until the end of the 1980 season, McLaren operated under a New Zealand registry where founder Bruce McLaren was born. In 1981, the team merged with Ron Dennis’s Project Four operation, leading to the licence being issued under the British flag. Lawson, one of only three Kiwis to race in F1 since 1981, expressed discontent over the anthem change from God Defend New Zealand to God Save the Queen, especially with King Charles III’s upcoming reign. He argued that as a New Zealand team with McLaren still in its name, the anthem choice makes no sense, contrasting it with Red Bull’s use of the Austrian anthem despite being UK-based. Lawson criticized the move as “bullshit” and emphasized the significance of Bruce McLaren’s legacy for New Zealand.
