In 2025, Liam Lawson will be advancing to Red Bull, thereby setting himself up for a comparison with Max Verstappen. This is no easy task, as drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Sergio Pérez have discovered. Alex Albon, who drove for Red Bull for two seasons between 2019 and 2020, can also attest to this. Lawson hopes to be able to ask the British-Thai driver for advice in preparation for his debut.
On Thursday evening, just a few hours after Red Bull announced that Lawson would be promoted to the main team, he was interviewed by Sky Sports. The New Zealander admitted that he is looking forward to competing with Max Verstappen. The fact that the Dutchman has gone through many teammates in the past nine years does not bother him. Lawson also hopes to be able to ask Alexander Albon, whom he knows from his time in the DTM, for advice.
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“When we were in the DTM, he (Albon) probably got sick of all my questions,” Lawson joked. In 2022, after Albon lost his Formula 1 seat to Sergio Pérez, he drove a season in touring cars. “I asked him a lot of questions about Red Bull, what the atmosphere was like in the team, and how the car drove,” Lawson continued. “I know the car was very different then than it is now, but the characteristics have largely remained the same. Of course, I have already driven the car in the simulator – it is very aggressive and difficult to control.
What was Albon’s response at the time? “He told me that it all comes down to self-confidence and that you really have to dare to take on Max Verstappen,” Lawson revealed. In the coming period, he hopes to seek advice from Albon again, who is starting his fourth season with Williams in 2025. “I think I will contact him again,” concluded the 22-year-old New Zealander. “This is all new to me, so I will definitely call him again in the coming weeks for some extra information.”
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson were teammates at Red Bull between 2019 and 2020.
