Christijan Albers outlines exactly why Liam Lawson keeps reminding him of Max Verstappen on track

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Liam Lawson started the 2025 Formula 1 season as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, and he is now rebuilding his career with Racing Bulls.

The New Zealander was afforded the chance to race for Red Bull after Christian Horner chose him to replace Sergio Perez. However, like many of Verstappen’s teammates before him, he struggled to cope in the second car.

Failing to get out of Q1 or score points in Australia and China, two tracks he had never driven on before, Lawson was dropped by Red Bull at Suzuka. He returned to Racing Bulls, a familiar environment, given his substitute appearances in 2023 and 2024, and he has been getting back on track.

Lawson has scored 36 points since his demotion from Red Bull, achieving a career-best finish of fifth in Baku. Last time out at the Brazilian Grand Prix, he finished P7 ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar.

Lawson was given a new nickname after his performance, with his engineer calling him the ‘Minister of Defence’ of New Zealand. After a rocky start, he is getting closer to Hadjar, who had been a level above at the start of the season.

Christijan Albers says Liam Lawson has a similar ‘attitude’ to Max Verstappen on track

While he never truly got the chance to match up against Verstappen, former F1 driver Christijan Albers would put Lawson in the same ‘category’ as the four-time champion in terms of his attitude.

Speaking via the Telegraaf Formule 1-podcast, the Dutchman has been impressed by the way the 24-year-old conducts himself on the track: “I like Lawson and I said so yesterday too. He has a certain attitude that is a bit like Max.

“He is not afraid, he really doesn’t care about anything. I mean, if something happens on the track, his involvement is usually 80%.

“You can see that he really doesn’t give an inch, and I like that. But I do miss the ground speed that Hadjar has. Hadjar really has that extra bit of speed in him, so you always had the upper hand.

“But, I think it’s nice to see that, for example, he falls into that category of boldness of Verstappen.”

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Liam Lawson has not had the season he wanted to have in 2025

With this praise, it is clear that Lawson is getting back on track in F1 and is proving his talent. However, by his own admission, he has not had the season he was expecting.

Lawson would not score his 2025 ‘high enough’, given the difficulties he faced at Red Bull. With the improvements the team have made since the summer break, many can only imagine what his performances could have been like if he were still in the RB21.

Lawson cannot compare himself to Tsunoda, as he says he did not have enough time in the car. With more races, results could have improved at Red Bull, but they certainly have at Racing Bulls.

With three races to go, the Kiwi driver will play a key role in keeping the Faenza squad in P6 in the constructors’ championship. That could be a factor in the team choosing to retain him for 2026.