Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez in the Red Bull in 2025 alongside four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen. Red Bull is relying on a man from its own youth program – a mistake?
We will only find out over the course of the coming season whether the decision is worth it for the team. But one expert is already making his decision and says: Signing Lawson is a bad decision by Red Bull.
Liam Lawson has only made eleven Grand Prix starts in Formula 1 so far and now he has to take on one of the best drivers of all time. How does the New Zealander fare alongside Max Verstappen? Lawson wouldn’t be the first to fail because of the Dutchman.
Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and most recently Sergio Perez experienced a career break after their time at Red Bull. Perez even remained completely without a cockpit for 2025. And from this group of failures comes the best option that Red Bull would have had. At least according to “Sky” expert Ted Kravitz.
Formula 1: Why Albon would have been the better choice for Red Bull
“For me it’s the wrong decision,” said the Briton on the “Sky Sport F1” podcast about the Lawson deal. “As strange as it sounds, I think Alex Albon would have been the right choice.”
Albon drove alongside Verstappen for around one and a half seasons in 2019 and 2020, but looked old compared to the team’s internal team.
“It wouldn’t have taken a lot of leverage to get Albon out of Williams. They could have gone with Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz – perfect,” Kravitz explained his position. “Alex Albon would have been a well-known benchmark for Max Verstappen.”
The fact that the current Williams driver lost so clearly to Verstappen a few years ago is not important for Kravitz, because Albon is now “so much older and wiser and knows how to deal with Max and the whole situation.”
By choosing Lawson, Red Bull is relying on the old Gasly/Albon tactic: promoting a young talent from the B team. Maybe this route will work on the third attempt.