Red Bull setback evokes familiar feelings for Albon as he offers support to Lawson – For Liam Lawson, being left out of the Formula One limelight after his impressive substitute performances in 2023 has undoubtedly been a bitter pill to swallow. But there’s someone who understands this particular brand of Red Bull-inflicted heartbreak all too well, Alex Albon.

The Thai-British driver knows the weight of expectation, the pressure to deliver in a car tailored for Max Verstappen, and the abruptness with which Red Bull reshuffles its driver line-up when it deems someone not up to the task. And now, with Lawson on the outside looking in, Albon has stepped forward with a mixture of empathy and encouragement.

Albon, who was in Lawson’s shoes just a few years ago, faced his own career-defining crossroads when he was unceremoniously dropped by Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2020 season. Like Lawson, he had struggled to keep up in an environment that was all about Verstappen.

Unlike Lawson, however, Albon didn’t return to the junior team – he took a break from F1 in 2021, spent a year in the DTM and then made a successful comeback with Williams in 2022. Today, Albon is a respected and established figure in the midfield, a living testament to the idea that a setback at Red Bull doesn’t have to be a career death sentence.

 

Understanding the Red Bull pressure cooker

Albon’s reflections on Lawson’s current situation are laced with sincerity and a quiet wisdom born of personal experience. “Obviously it’s a difficult situation,” he says, acknowledging the challenge facing the young Kiwi.

“In a way you feel for Liam because it certainly hasn’t been an easy start for him. The season is so competitive now that you can’t afford to have races where you’re six or seven tenths slower.”

This stark honesty doesn’t come from a place of criticism, but from a recognition of how the sport has evolved. The midfield is no longer a forgiving proving ground for rookies to find their feet. It’s a cauldron where even the slightest drop in performance can have consequences.

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“Nobody can afford to be that slow anymore,” says Albon, not as a warning but as a reality check.

What made Lawson’s challenge particularly acute, in Albon’s eyes, was the nature of the machine he was being thrown into.

“As we are in the last year of these regulations, the cars are optimally tuned to their teams and drivers. It is a challenge when you come from a car that, as I know from personal experience, is not easy to drive and has to be driven in a certain way”.

That subtle nod to Red Bull’s car philosophy is telling. The RB chassis has long been known to favour Verstappen’s aggressive and precise driving style, often making it difficult for others to adapt. Albon’s time in that car showed how punishing it could be for those who didn’t gel with it instantly. Lawson, who stepped into the AlphaTauri (now VCARB) version of that philosophy, found himself in a similar position.

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Albon sees a redemption arc for Lawson

Despite the disappointment, Albon sees plenty of room for optimism in Lawson’s development. “He has a great opportunity to return to a car with which he feels comfortable. Then this can still be a good story for him,” he suggests. It’s not just a vague hope, but a call to action for Lawson to use this setback as fuel.

“What if he gets a strong result this weekend and gets himself back into the conversation like he was before the season started?” Albon asks.

“It’s a chance for him to come back strong.” The message is clear: the F1 paddock has a short memory, and a good race can reignite interest.

Lawson’s path, in Albon’s eyes, isn’t just about overcoming disappointment – it’s about seizing the narrative and writing the next chapter with purpose. If there’s one driver who can offer authentic advice on that, it’s Albon. After all, he turned a year on the sidelines into a springboard for one of the most respected comebacks on the current grid.

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Yuki Tsunoda’s parallel opportunity

Albon wasn’t just talking about Lawson – he also addressed the other key figure in Red Bull’s ongoing driver evaluation drama: Yuki Tsunoda. 

“I’m happy he’s got it,” says Albon of Tsunoda’s current position. “He’s wanted this cockpit for a long time and now it’s here. I think he has the right attitude to face this challenge, because you can’t be afraid of it – you have to embrace it, be confident and believe in yourself.

The same advice applies to Lawson, who is now watching from the sidelines. While their paths may diverge for now, both Lawson and Tsunoda are navigating the same unpredictable landscape that defines Red Bull’s development system.

 

Media pressure and overreaction

Albon also called for a level-headed perspective in the face of media narratives suggesting that Lawson’s career is in jeopardy. “It’s not a matter of life and death,” he says. “Both drivers have their respective opportunities and I hope they take advantage of them, even if the challenges are now obviously very different.”

Albon understands the temptation to dramatise these moments – especially when Red Bull is involved – but warns against reading too much into any one decision. In F1, fortunes can change quickly and, as Albon himself has shown, careers can be rebuilt through grit and resilience.

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Drawing on personal experience

Reflecting on his own career, Albon makes it clear that his journey, while difficult, gave him the tools to succeed when the opportunity came again. “I had to wait a year. I definitely felt like I had to prove myself after my comeback. I wanted to show that I wasn’t as bad as it looked at the end of 2020”.

That fire still burns in him today, and it’s the same spirit he believes Lawson needs to tap into. “It’s that fighting spirit that allows you to show what you’re really made of. It’s a powerful tool.

He recalls the first qualifying session of his Williams comeback. “I was 15th in Q1 and went into Q2. That might not have been a big deal for others, but for me it was a defining moment. I felt like I was back in the flow.

That moment of vindication, of silencing inner and outer doubts, is what Albon wants Lawson to experience. He’s convinced it’s within his grasp. “I don’t see why Liam can’t do it. You can grow from something like that.

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The story isn’t over

Albon concludes his thoughts with a hopeful tone that cuts through the usual cynicism surrounding Red Bull’s ruthless decision-making. While he admits he’s only read “a fraction” of what Christian Horner has said about the recent changes, he agrees with one key sentiment from his former boss: “I am convinced that this is by no means the end of Liam’s career.”

That’s not just lip service. Albon raced alongside Lawson in the DTM during his F1 hiatus and knows exactly what the Kiwi brings to the table. “I know Liam. I know how fast he is: He will bounce back.”

So while the Red Bull door may be closed for now, the paddock is never short of surprises. If Liam Lawson can channel the same inner resolve that brought Alex Albon back from the brink, his next chapter could not only be one of redemption – it could be his breakthrough.

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The double disqualification of the Ferrari drivers from the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, came as a huge shock to the paddock. For an F1 team to have one car disqualified for technical reasons is rare, but never in Ferrari’s F1 history have they had two cars thrown out of the final classification, truly a low point for the iconic team

The team did not fight the decision of the stewards in China issuing a statement which said: “Following the FIA post-race scrutineering both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons…. we will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.”

Of course the blame game in the Italian media was instantaneous and brutal. “Chaos,” “a disaster” and “an embarrassment” screamed the back page headlines in Italy with some suggesting that Hamilton had already lost faith in his new team after just two race weekends…READ MORE ON THIS STORY