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

Williams driver Alex Albon has revealed he has sympathy for Liam Lawson after his demotion from Red Bull - but he knows that you "can't afford to be that slow" at the team.

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.

Yuki Tsunoda makes his Red Bull debut at his home Grand Prix

Albon "feels" for Lawson with Red Bull's decision-making

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.

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Lawson in a difficult position at Red Bull

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.

"It's the final year of regulations where the cars have been optimised for their teams, for their drivers, so you're going to have a tricky position where you come from a car which, historically, as I know, is not the easiest to drive and has to be driven a certain way as well.

Albon hopes for Lawson to bounce back at Racing Bulls

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.

"I see it more as an opportunity for him. How amazing would it be to come to this weekend, deliver a great result, and put himself back on the map just as he did before the start of the season, let's say, and bounce back strongly? That's more my take on everything than anything else."

This article was written in collaboration with Kimberley Hoefnagel