New Zealand is a country that punches well above its weight with sport. Rugby, sailing, rowing, cricket and football - just to name a few. We are a nation of success stories, but unfortunately, we are also a nation that loves to tear people down.
I have never seen Tall Poppy Syndrome worse than in the last couple of weeks, and it's been directed at 23-year-old NZ Formula One ace Liam Lawson.
Being a hardcore F1 fan my whole life, I have followed Liam's career for a long time, and he's an incredibly talented driver. He's risen out of grit, raw skill, and determination to the top tier of motorsport, only to be ripped down by keyboard warriors and haters. And the sad thing is, lots of these people are fellow Kiwis.
Never in my 20 years of watching F1 have I seen ANY driver attacked with such hateful comments for disappointing results.
Liam was dropped from Red Bull today after failing to perform in a car designed for his world champion teammate Max Verstappen. He is just the latest in a long line of drivers to be dropped after being teammates with Max.
The reality is, Red Bull’s second seat has been a revolving door for years, spitting out talented drivers like Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon - both of whom have since proven their worth elsewhere.
It’s a brutal environment where even the best struggle to survive.
Yet, instead of rallying behind our own and recognizing the sheer difficulty of the situation, too many New Zealanders have chosen to cut him down.
The same people who praised him for his stellar substitute performances last season are now the ones dismissing him as “not good enough".
In fact, some of the hate comments are far worse than that. They range from nicknames like "Slowson" to saying "he'll be forgotten the minute he's demoted" and dubbing him "full of attitude but sadly no skills".
This is the ugly side of the Kiwi mentality - our tendency to resent those who dare to rise too high. It’s not enough for someone to be successful; they must also be humble, self-deprecating, and, most importantly, never too confident. The moment they show even a glimmer of self-belief, the knives come out.
We saw it with Scott Dixon in IndyCar, we saw it with Israel Adesanya in the UFC, and now we’re seeing it with Liam Lawson.
The truth is, Liam is still young. He’s got time on his side, and he will get another shot. He’s already achieved more than most drivers ever will, and he’s done it with the weight of a country that both celebrates and resents success on his shoulders.
Instead of tearing him down, we should be backing him to come back stronger. Because if there’s one thing we love even more than cutting down tall poppies, it’s a great Kiwi comeback story.
