Albon sympathetic about Lawson's demotion, but knows "you can't afford to be that slow"

Lawson's demotion to Racing Bulls came after just two Grands Prix of the 2025 Formula 1 season, a decision made by Red Bull's hierarchy which includes team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko.

Yuki Tsunoda will now become the sixth teammate that Max Verstappen has had since he joined the team in 2016, after Daniil Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso after just four Grands Prix. The Japanese driver will make his debut racing in front of his home fans in Suzuka.

Albon himself came under fire from the decision-making process of the Milton Keynes-based team and was demoted to the test and reserve driver role after just one-and-a-half seasons.

"It's obviously tricky," said the Thai-British driver. "You feel for Liam to a certain point, and I do think that it was a tough start. I think the season as a whole has become so tight now that you can't have these races."

Both Albon and his teammate Carlos Sainz were part of the Red Bull family in their F1 careers, with the Spaniard critical of how the team does its business.

But even though there is some sympathy for Lawson, Albon also understands Red Bull's decision: "The midfield teams have caught up and most sessions now, even for us, we're only two-three tenths off, about the back of the top teams, so you can't afford to be that slow and I think it's just a difficult circumstance for him.

With Lawson now moving back to Racing Bulls, and to an easier car to drive, Albon wants to see the New Zealander get back to his best: "I'm not so much focused on him being put back into the RB, but more as in I think he's got a really good opportunity to get back into a car that he's comfortable with, and he has a really great story to tell.