Alex Albon is “confident” that Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson will “soon” have a spot in Formula 1, after being snubbed for Nyck de Vries’ seat at AlphaTauri.
Lawson is very much Red Bull’s leading Junior driver but wasn’t chosen to replace De Vries, with the team’s development driver Daniel Ricciardo having been chosen instead.
Many questioned why Lawson hadn’t been promoted to F1; however, Red Bull are keen not to disturb his terrific maiden campaign in Super Formula.
Lawson is competing in the Japanese single-seater series this season, which is seen as the closest comparison to F1.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
Having won three of the last six races, the Kiwi is right in the title fight.
With the AT04 also been a poor car this season, Red Bull want to give Lawson a full season in Japan, before he’s promoted to the sister team.
It’s widely assumed that Lawson will be promoted to AlphaTauri in 2024, with Ricciardo having been loaned at the team just until the end of this season.
Williams driver Albon who previously drove for the Austrians, is certain that Lawson will move to F1 very soon, but that making the move mid-season would’ve been “tough” as a rookie.
“We can say it now but I’m sure his time will come,” said Albon, as reported by Speedcafe.com. “I’m confident he’s going to have a seat in F1 soon.
“To put him in now would have been tough for him because he would have been coming in as a rookie, halfway through a season, and with a driver next to you [Yuki Tsunoda] who’s in very good form and has done 10 races already.
“So it would have been very hard on him, and in some ways, it gives him some time for when he does come into Formula 1.
READ: Alfa Romeo driver set to secure F1 future
“He will be on a bit more of a level-playing field, even though it’ll be a fresh car, let’s say. He can have the testing and he can go into it in a proper way.
“Whereas if he had come in now, and he doesn’t perform well enough in the first three races, then he’s going to be attacked straight away. That’s what tends to happen.
“So in some ways, it’s not a silly decision to put Daniel in, someone who’s already got experience and doesn’t need such a big learning curve as Liam would.”