A former McLaren Technical Executive believes Liam Lawson has become 'un-droppable'.  

The Kiwi Formula 1 racer showed another strong result yesterday, as he was promoted to seventh at the Brazilian Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc was hit with post-race penalty. 

It's Lawson's fifth straight points finish as Racing Bulls keeps him waiting on a decision about next year. 

Mark Barnett told Mike Hosking the feeder team was tasked with standing on its own two feet, both financially and from a performance perspective, and without a reference or lead driver, that's not possible to do. 

He says Lawson's just gotten better and better this year, and has become that benchmark. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

A former McLaren Technical Executive believes Liam Lawson has become 'un-droppable'. &nbsp;
The Kiwi Formula 1 racer showed another strong result yesterday, as he was promoted to seventh at the Brazilian Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc was hit with post-race penalty.&nbsp;
It's Lawson's fifth straight points finish as Racing Bulls keeps him waiting on a decision about next year.&nbsp;
Mark Barnett told Mike Hosking the feeder team was tasked with standing on its own two feet, both financially and from a performance perspective, and without a reference or lead driver, that's not possible to do.&nbsp;
He says Lawson's just gotten better and better this year, and has become that benchmark.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

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Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show. Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda. The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more. The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion,...

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Mark Barnett: Former McLaren Technical Executive on his career, Liam Lawson's future

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/07a793fc-a4b0-4bd2-80b0-b4fd014f9279/transcript

I risk getting slightly ahead of myself, but my anticipation of the Government being returned means some very interesting times for the Labour Party. 

Obviously Hipkins would go and in that is the exposure of one of those things we see increasingly often in the workplace – a lack of talent. 

It still amazes me we can have an unemployment rate of 5.7% with allegedly this massive queue of people desperate for work, and yet gainfully employed are any number of dumpty dos who anyone with any sense of anticipation around quality would quite rightly ask "how is it they're in work?" 

I've seen it in the media over the past decade. The depth of genuine talent these days is puddle shallow and so it is with the Labour Party. 

What Labour, or any party really, needs is an obvious successor, if not two. People who are quite clearly set to go should the circumstances arise.

You see it all the time in sport. But with Labour a schism is building. 

They talk of Michael Wood, and they talk, remarkably, of Craig Renney. 

Both are hardcore unionists. Renney is an overt Pom, not that I have anything against Poms, even if they have been here a while. But if that’s their path they are in for a very long period in the wilderness. 

When Labour have done well, they're a broader church. Think Clark and Lange, think Hawke and Keating, think Blair and Brown. 

The answer is there. Sadly though, often the talent isn't, and so you end up with Gillards and Starmers and, maybe, Woods and Renneys. 

The same way Luxon gets whacked for being out of touch, Wood and Renney don’t stand a chance with working New Zealand. 

They keep saying Barbara Edmonds, but I'm sure that’s only because she is the last one standing, not because she is an obvious leader. 

The same way great players aren't always captains, this applies to the next leader of the Opposition. 

The next leader is a path to competitiveness in 2029, or a gap filler while they tear themselves apart for multiple terms.   

I risk getting slightly ahead of myself, but my anticipation of the Government being returned means some very interesting times for the Labour Party.&nbsp;
Obviously Hipkins would go and in that is the exposure of one of those things we see increasingly often in the workplace – a lack of talent.&nbsp;
It still amazes me we can have an unemployment rate of 5.7% with allegedly this massive queue of people desperate for work, and yet gainfully employed are any number of dumpty dos who anyone with any sense of anticipation around quality would quite rightly ask "how is it they're in work?"&nbsp;
I've seen it in the media over the past decade. The depth of genuine talent these days is puddle shallow and so it is with the Labour Party.&nbsp;
What Labour, or any party really, needs is an obvious successor, if not two. People who are quite clearly set to go should the circumstances arise.
You see it all the time in sport. But with Labour a schism is building.&nbsp;
They talk of Michael Wood, and they talk, remarkably, of Craig Renney.&nbsp;
Both are hardcore unionists. Renney is an overt Pom, not that I have anything against Poms, even if they have been here a while. But if that’s their path they are in for a very long period in the wilderness.&nbsp;
When Labour have done well, they're a broader church. Think Clark and Lange, think Hawke and Keating, think Blair and Brown.&nbsp;
The answer is there. Sadly though, often the talent isn't, and so you end up with Gillards and Starmers and, maybe, Woods and Renneys.&nbsp;
The same way Luxon gets whacked for being out of touch, Wood and Renney don’t stand a chance with working New Zealand.&nbsp;
They keep saying Barbara Edmonds, but I'm sure that’s only because she is the last one standing, not because she is an obvious leader.&nbsp;
The same way great players aren't always captains, this applies to the next leader of the Opposition.&nbsp;
The next leader is a path to competitiveness in 2029, or a gap filler while they tear themselves apart for multiple terms. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: It could be interesting times for Labour

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/d3cd65c1-aa38-4329-abe0-b4fd016026ca/transcript

To this day, Sylvester Stallone is one of the most recognisable names and faces in Hollywood. 

He's been in the game for almost six decades, and his story is infamous. 

After struggling for the first seven or eight years, he figured the only way to get a lead role was to write one himself – thus 'Rocky' was born, and the rest is history.  

A short time later he co-wrote the first 'Rambo' film, and even today, at 80 years old, he's still a leading man, starring in 'Tulsa King'.  

Stallone details his incredible career in a new memoir, 'The Steps', released a couple months ago. 

Rocky is one of the most iconic characters in film history, and although it's hard to imagine what the film would've been like if anyone else played the role, but Stallone believes it wouldn't have been as good. 

"I don't think it would have had a certain kind of deep sensitivity, because it was so personal that I sort of lived those scenes in my mind as a child growing up," he explained to Mike Hosking. 

"In other words, I felt that kind of isolation, I felt that dismissiveness, all that kind of stuff, and I just put it into the body of a fighter." 

"So I truly understood those emotions very, very well and the frustrations and the anger and everything else that went along with it." 

The franchise quickly became more than the sum of its parts, but it was when the fourth one was released that Stallone realised just how impactful it was for the audience. 

"I said, oh my God, this is actually catching on to the point where people are taking, deriving certain elements of them in the way that they apply it to their life," he told Hosking. 

"It wasn't just escapism." 

LISTEN ABOVE  

To this day, Sylvester Stallone is one of the most recognisable names and faces in Hollywood.&nbsp;
He's been in the game for almost six decades, and his story is infamous.&nbsp;
After struggling for the first seven or eight years, he figured the only way to get a lead role was to write one himself – thus 'Rocky' was born, and the rest is history. &nbsp;
A short time later he co-wrote the first 'Rambo' film, and even today, at 80 years old, he's still a leading man, starring in 'Tulsa King'. &nbsp;
Stallone details his incredible career in a new memoir, 'The Steps', released a couple months ago.&nbsp;
Rocky is one of the most iconic characters in film history, and although it's hard to imagine what the film would've been like if anyone else played the role, but Stallone believes it wouldn't have been as good.&nbsp;
"I don't think it would have had a certain kind of deep sensitivity, because it was so personal that I sort of lived those scenes in my mind as a child growing up," he explained to Mike Hosking.&nbsp;
"In other words, I felt that kind of isolation, I felt that dismissiveness, all that kind of stuff, and I just put it into the body of a fighter."&nbsp;
"So I truly understood those emotions very, very well and the frustrations and the anger and everything else that went along with it."&nbsp;
The franchise quickly became more than the sum of its parts, but it was when the fourth one was released that Stallone realised just how impactful it was for the audience.&nbsp;
"I said, oh my God, this is actually catching on to the point where people are taking, deriving certain elements of them in the way that they apply it to their life," he told Hosking.&nbsp;
"It wasn't just escapism."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Sylvester Stallone: Hollywood icon on his new career, Rocky, Tulsa King, memoir 'The Steps'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/ba5b9000-5c04-4261-83f3-b4fd015dad96/transcript

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 10th of November, who is going to be the Finance Minister? Steven Joyce gives his reckonings. 

Kiwi Mark Barnett is a former McLaren F1 lead and gives us his thoughts on the season so far and Liam Lawson's future. 

Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone gives a radio exclusive about his new memoir 'The Steps'. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 10th of November, who is going to be the Finance Minister? Steven Joyce gives his reckonings.&nbsp;
Kiwi Mark Barnett is a former McLaren F1 lead and gives us his thoughts on the season so far and Liam Lawson's future.&nbsp;
Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone gives a radio exclusive about his new memoir 'The Steps'.&nbsp;
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 10 November 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/3725ea87-31f6-431e-83c7-b4fd014cea14/transcript

Mark Barnett: Former McLaren Technical Executive on his career, Liam Lawson's future

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