'Milton Keynes roundabouts helped me with Formula 1'

Liam Lawson is seen as a rising star in Formula 1

Liam Lawson has gone from one side of the world to the other in order to achieve his racing dreams.

Joining the powerhouse Red Bull team as a teenager meant moving from his home in New Zealand to the UK.

Since 2019, the 22-year-old has been rising up the ranks, at some speed.

After competing in the F3 and F2 junior series, he made his F1 debut at last year's Dutch Grand Prix when he filled in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo.

He's retained the role of reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and RB Formula One Team (formerly known as Alpha Tauri), and those in the know say he's one to watch.

And while Liam's been able to race on some of the most famous tracks in the world, he tells BBC Newsbeat that one of the keys to his driving success can be found in a surprising location.

Milton Keynes.

"It's fair to say I've done a few roundabouts in my time," he jokes, saying they are the best part about living in the British city famous for the road feature.

They also have more in common with an F1 track than you might think.

"Sometimes you have street circuits that are pretty close to it," he says.

"Monaco is a track that has a bit of everything."

Although, Liam admits: "The hairpin in Monaco is tighter than most roundabouts in Milton Keynes."

Not just playing games

When he's not navigating MK's grid system, Liam spends lots of his time fine tuning his craft in virtual racing simulators.

These rigs include everything you'd expect in your average F1 car, including a reclined seat, pedals and steering wheel in front of a big curved screen.

Liam says he's had one installed at his home.

"Sim racing is something I do three or four times a week," he says.

Being the team's reserve driver, he doesn't get as much time on the real-world track, so this is the best way to practise.

As technology has improved, the software running on professional teams' own simulators is usually the same as the game we can all play at home.

According to Liam, it "actually does show a pretty good insight into what it's like".

Simulator rigs like this one are the closest most of us will get to jumping into an F1 car

He says he discovered his talent for the sport when driving go-karts at a young age with his friends.

It's long been common for drivers to graduate from those small motors and amateur Sunday races to the professional circuit.

Increasingly though, people are getting into the world of F1 through gaming and competing in international esports competitions.

"I think there's definitely going to be more drivers coming in from esports. It's becoming more realistic so it's definitely a way of stepping in," says Liam.

"I have a friend who's only done esports.

"We did a track day together and the guy had everything... the natural feeling of the car."

Whatever the (virtual) weather

Much like with other big sports games, new versions are released annually with updated cars, drivers, courses and gameplay tweaks.

Lee Mather, senior creative director on EA Sports' F1 series, says many changes to this year's edition were based on feedback from F1 and esports drivers.

He tells BBC Newsbeat that includes some of the more technical aspects, such as how traction works in the game.

But Lee says there's always a balance to be found so the game is enjoyable for both beginners and pros like Liam.

"We take all the parts of the sport that are as complicated as they are in F1, and we find a way to help a player of any skill to be able to enjoy it," he says.

Famous racetracks, including Monaco, are recreated in the game

There is sometimes criticism that annual titles like this one do not bring enough fresh elements to justify paying up to £70 for a new game each time, and that's before you've bought any additional online content.

Lee points to new features in the game, however, including updates to the dynamic weather system, which changes track conditions on the day.

There's also an updated career mode which, according to Lee, includes some scenes that have been inspired by popular Netflix series Drive to Survive.

It's a show Liam knows well.

He appeared in it recently and says it really changed things for him.

"For months before it came out I was playing it off like I wasn't really stressed about it," he says.

"Then a couple of days before it dropped I was actually really nervous."

Liam says he was unsure how he would come across, but was pretty happy with what he saw.

"I think it showed a good insight into what those races were like," he says.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.