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Former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat believes Liam Lawson "being thrown in the ocean" alongside Max Verstappen is a positive both for Red Bull and the full-time rookie.

Speaking in an exclusive RacingNews365 interview, Kvyat explained that starting from zero could be a real bonus for Lawson.

The New Zealander has made 11 race starts across the last two years for Red Bull's sister team, with his seat alongside Verstappen his first full-time spot in F1.

Going from completing races for RB to suddenly racing for Red Bull is a considerable task for Lawson, although one Kvyat has assessed as potentially being a positive for him.

"For sure, it can be a challenge," Kvyat told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview. "It's also a different environment to the smaller team.

"It's individual [how each driver adjusts], of course, some experience stats are maybe against him.

"But in the end, maybe with a fresh mindset and being thrown in the ocean, in some ways it's even better to learn everything from zero."

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Verstappen to feel 'pressure'

Kvyat himself competed for Red Bull across the entirety of the 2015 season, before being replaced by Verstappen after just four races the following year.

The 30-year-old replaced Sebastian Vettel and partnered Daniel Ricciardo, a driver who was viewed at the time as a potential world champion.

However, in Kvyat's maiden season with Red Bull, he scored three points more than Ricciardo in the standings.

Lawson faces his own immense challenge going up against a driver of Verstappen's calibre, with the Dutchman targeting a fifth consecutive F1 drivers' title.

Whilst it is a daunting position for Lawson, Kvyat is adamant that pressure can be applied on the reigning world champion if the young driver can make consistent lap time gains.

"It's actually really good, there's nothing to lose," insisted Kvyat. "He can just go there with a completely free mindset and even if he's two or three tenths off, it's good because Perez really struggled.

"So he actually has to just go there and chip a little bit of lap time away, and then maybe Max will start feeling pressure.

"You don't know, it can always play in [Liam's] favour. It's always good to have a fresh mindset sometimes.

"We don't know any expectations, it can really play for him, but a lot of other things are also against him, for sure."

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