Liam Lawson will have a new opportunity in a top Formula 1 team, precisely at the circuit where his career in the category began. The New Zealander will replace Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort.
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This change places Lawson alongside Max Verstappen again, with whom he already formed a duo for two races at the beginning of 2025. This time, the participation will be temporary, while Lawson returns to the main team to take Hadjar’s spot, who will miss the event due to a wrist injury.
Lawson’s relationship with Zandvoort began three years ago, when Daniel Ricciardo fractured a metacarpal in his left hand during TL2. The New Zealander was called to take over the Racing Bulls car (then Alphatauri) and took the opportunity to show his potential, competing at a good level against then-teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Lawson recently said on the F1: Off The Grid podcast that he even sought out Helmut Marko, former Red Bull advisor, that weekend to ask why he had not yet received an opportunity after five years in the Red Bull junior program. According to him, the conversation was initially difficult, until Marko came back to him and asked if he was ready: “I said, ‘Yes.’ And that was the whole conversation,” Lawson reported.
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After returning to the reserve position, Lawson got another chance and later permanently took Ricciardo’s spot. His performance in some 2024 races contributed to his promotion to Red Bull Racing in 2025, but the start of the season was complicated and he left the team after only two rounds, giving way to Tsunoda, and returning to Racing Bulls, where he remains a starter this year.
Now, Lawson will have his third big opportunity in the main team, again in Zandvoort, the same circuit that marked his debut. The coincidence puts the driver before a new chance to show his potential precisely at the place where it all began.
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