Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Liam Lawson will replace the injured Isack Hadjar for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, giving the Racing Bulls driver a one-race return to Red Bull in a move the summaries describe as unprecedented for the team after it had already dropped him once.
That makes Zandvoort a striking turnaround for Lawson just 14 months after his demotion from the senior team after only two races. The summaries frame it as a break from Red Bull’s usual approach, saying the team had never previously recalled a driver it had parted ways with in its 22-year Formula 1 history.
Lawson goes back to the senior car in far stronger form than the last time he was there. He has emerged this season as the leading driver outside Formula 1’s top four teams, is provisionally ninth in the world championship, and has scored points in six of the last seven events for Racing Bulls.
Liam Lawson told RacingNews365 he found out about the switch only after returning from vacation. “Monday. I had literally just landed and hadn’t even got off the plane yet,” he said. Lawson added that Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane called him to explain the situation and that “my week changed pretty quickly because of that.” His preparation was limited to a seat fit on Tuesday and simulator work on Wednesday.
Even with that recent form, the task is compressed. Lawson has never driven Red Bull’s 2026-spec car, and Zandvoort is a sprint weekend, leaving him only a single practice session before competitive running. “The advantage is that the power unit is the same, so hopefully that helps a little bit. But in terms of the car itself, they are completely different,” Lawson said. He added that the weekend would be tough because “there’s a lot coming at me and it will probably feel quite strange at first.”
His opening may be short-term, but it still changes the picture around Red Bull’s driver pool. Hadjar’s injury created the vacancy at the senior team, and Lawson’s step up sends Yuki Tsunoda back onto the grid with Racing Bulls for his first Grand Prix appearance of the season.
Tsunoda said he had been eager for a chance to return. “It’s good to be back,” he said at Zandvoort. “I didn’t see it coming at all.” The 26-year-old has been serving as a reserve for Red Bull and Racing Bulls this year, and said that while he is physically ready after months of training, adapting to the current car will be difficult with so little track time.
He faces the same central problem as Lawson. Tsunoda has not raced this generation of 2026 machinery and, because of the sprint format, will get only one hour of practice to learn Racing Bulls’ latest package and the revised procedures that come with it. “The only thing I still have to do is get used to this car, which I think feels quite different,” he said. “And of course you have the new procedures, for example how you start. That will be difficult with one free practice session, so I don’t have high expectations.”
Tsunoda said he was simply determined to enjoy the opportunity after so long on the sidelines. He also revealed that he had only used the Racing Bulls simulator for the first time on Wednesday, adding that he understood the Red Bull environment better but did not feel overwhelmed by the switch.
For Lawson, the one-off return offers more than a substitute drive. The summaries suggest a strong performance at Zandvoort, followed by continued form at Racing Bulls, could improve his chances of staying in the Red Bull system for 2027, even if a full-time comeback at the senior team remains unlikely. Tsunoda, meanwhile, has a chance to revive his own prospects by showing he can step back into race conditions quickly after a year on reserve duty.