Liam Lawson told ‘worst case scenario’ if Red Bull snub promotion by Alex Albon

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Alex Albon knows what it is like to be Liam Lawson right now as Red Bull decide if he should rise up from Visa Cash App RB and replace Sergio Perez in their driver line-up.

The situation facing Lawson is the same as what faced Albon while he was still a rookie with Toro Rosso back in the 2019 season. Pierre Gasly had underwhelmed Red Bull at the start of the year following his promotion from the sister team and was demoted back after 12 races.

But racing alongside Max Verstappen in the main Red Bull team would prove to be too much for Albon at the time. While the London-born Thai could produce strong races in the Grands Prix, he often struggled to qualify well. So, Red Bull axed Albon for Perez at the end of 2020.

Alex Albon thinks the ‘worst case scenario’ is Liam Lawson stays at RB amid Red Bull links

Now, though, it is once again Perez who is under pressure to keep his seat at Red Bull after a continually disappointing campaign. The Mexican sits eighth in the drivers’ standings on 151 points while champion-elect Verstappen has 393 and will likely cost Red Bull the teams’ title.

Red Bull are considering promoting Lawson to replace Perez, with his performances for their sister team Visa Cash App RB acting as an audition. The Milton Keynes crew handed Lawson the RB seat Daniel Ricciardo held to judge the Kiwi’s results in the last six rounds of the year.

READ MORE: Who is Visa Cash App RB driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Despite only scoring 33 points in the past 10 rounds, Perez is confident he will be at Red Bull in 2025. But even if the 34-year-old does survive the chop again, Albon believes it would not necessarily be bad for Lawson to stay at RB longer before sharing a garage with Verstappen.

“Liam is in a win-win [situation],” Albon claimed, via quotes by Speedcafe. “I feel like [the] worst case scenario, he’s in an RB. I mean, in my head, do you need to jump into the main team that quickly against Max?

“From my experience, it’s not a bad thing to spend a couple of years learning your craft a bit more. But, of course, if there’s the opportunity and if you’re going to have the opportunity, you have to take it.”

Sacking Sergio Perez could cost Red Bull more than £8.5m

Lawson is not the only driver in the running to replace Perez with Red Bull also interested in Williams prospect Franco Colapinto. Another problem which can harm the Kiwi’s chances is that Red Bull face paying Perez over €10m (£8.5m) to terminate his contract after this term.

Perez’s ongoing plight is already likely to cost Red Bull millions in prize money with McLaren and Ferrari ahead in the constructors’ championship. It also remains to be seen if team boss Christian Horner is prepared to part with Perez just five months after extending his contract.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Red Bull gifted Perez a contract extension for 2025, which includes an option for 2026, back in June. He was due to be a free agent after this year, but Horner handed Perez the security to try and take some of the pressure off him. Yet it has backfired with his form very lacking.

Perez has failed to score a single point in three of the last five Grands Prix and has not had a higher finish than P6 since sealing fourth place in the Miami GP in May. Meanwhile, Lawson is impressing Red Bull with how he has handled his racing for RB since the United States GP.