Red Bull told: Don’t be afraid of ‘new Albon or Gasly’ as Lawson vies to replace Perez

Sergio Perez has five races remaining with Red Bull before Liam Lawson replaces him, and Christijan Albers says he’ll “eat my shoes” if it doesn’t happen.

After months of speculation, Red Bull featured a changed driver line-up at the United States Grand Prix but it was at their junior team VCARB, not the senior team.

Red Bull have ‘nothing to lose’ putting Liam Lawson in the car in F1 2025

Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the season and showed his one-lap pace as he finished third fastest in Q1, three-tenths faster than Perez, and then raced his way from the back of the grid to ninth place having been dealt a 60-place grid penalty for the car needing new engine parts.

Lawson raced from 19th to ninth, and Perez only progressed from ninth to seventh.

Adding weight to the Lawson argument, he was 10 seconds behind Perez in the VCARB whereas Perez was 40 seconds behind Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Albers believes it’s a clear-cut decision, so “definite” that he’ll eat his shoe if Red Bull don’t drop Perez for Lawson for F1 2025.

“Yes, definitely,” Albers told Viaplay. “If that doesn’t happen now, I’ll eat my shoe. I mean that seriously.

“This guy [Lawson] has done fantastic. He comes back, and drives on a circuit he doesn’t know. He actually beats Tsunoda in Q1. He had to start at the back and drove 37 laps on a hard tyre. He drove great lap times, often faster than Tsunoda. That really shows your worth.

“I think he should have been in there earlier instead of Perez.”

Lawson’s last competitive motor racing outing was the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, the fifth event in which he substituted for Ricciardo after the Australian driver broke his hand.

Despite not putting in a competitive lap since, he showed no signs of cobwebs in Austin as he scored points on his F1 return.

“Lawson is a boy who has not been able to drive for a single season,” Albers added. “He is suddenly used. This boy is simply ready for it.

“I just hope that they are not afraid of a new Alexander Albon or Pierre Gasly, who they have also given a chance, but they have to. They have nothing to lose.”

F1 2024: Team-mate head-to-head stats

?F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

?F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

But is Liam Lawson ready for the Max Verstappen challenge?

His fellow pundit Tom Coronel agrees, adamant it is “clear” that Lawson is ready for the big stage. He reckons like Franco Colapinto, the Kiwi just needs the opportunity to show that.

“You don’t have to think about it anymore,” he said. “That goes for Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson. You see the new generation driving in a different way. A bit more attacking, and they are a bit more driven. They understand the game.

“It is not the case that all the older drivers have to keep driving, like the Alonsos and the Hulkenbergs. At a certain point it is simply time to go. Then you have to give these guys a chance.”

But unlike Albers, he isn’t sure Lawson is ready to take on Max Verstappen as a team-mate. But given Perez’s form, Coronel accepts the Mexican driver isn’t doing that either.

“Is he 100 percent ready to become Max’s team-mate?” he added. “No, I don’t think so. You do need someone who is breathing down his neck a bit, but Perez isn’t doing that now either.

“Perez did that before, and that helps the team a bit, if you have two drivers who can give some feedback. You need a bit more experience for that.”

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