Liam Lawson takes over at Red Bull after Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull’s Formula 1 driver in 2026, will be left out of the category’s return after the summer break. The Austrian team confirmed on August 19, 2026 that the athlete suffered a hand injury during the break and will not be able to participate in the Dutch Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend. To fill the vacancy on a provisional basis, Liam Lawson, from Racing Bulls, was called in to replace him.

In an official press release, Red Bull Racing confirmed the injury. “Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury during the summer break, which will prevent him from competing in the 2026 Dutch GP. We will welcome back Liam Lawson, who will replace him in the RB22 this weekend. The team wishes Isack a speedy recovery and thanks Liam for taking over at such short notice,” the team said.

This decision marks Lawson’s return to Red Bull, a little over a year after being demoted from the main team. The New Zealand driver had been promoted at the end of 2024, but a below-expected performance after just two races in the 2025 World Championship resulted in his return to Racing Bulls, an example of the high pressure and demand for results in the Red Bull driver program.

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At Racing Bulls, which has an Italian-Austrian headquarters, Lawson competed side by side with Hadjar until the end of the season, when the French driver was called up to Red Bull for the 2026 season. Currently, Hadjar, runner-up in Formula 2 in 2024, works as Max Verstappen’s teammate, taking the place that previously belonged to Yuki Tsunoda.

To fill Lawson’s position, Racing Bulls called up Yuki Tsunoda on a temporary basis. Tsunoda, who has played for both teams in the group, currently serves as a reserve driver for the sister teams, highlighting the flexibility and interconnection of talents within the Red Bull structure.

Racing Bulls also released a statement on their social media. “Racing Bulls confirms that Liam Lawson will drive for Red Bull Racing at the Dutch GP this weekend, following Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury. As a result of the driver change, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda will drive for Racing Bulls at Zandvoort this weekend, alongside Arvid Lindblad. We thank Liam and Yuki for their ability to adapt as the teams prepare for the weekend and wish Isack a speedy recovery,” the post read.

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This will not be the first time that Lawson has taken on the role of substitute in Formula 1. Even though his first full season will only be in 2025, he made his debut in the category during the 2023 Dutch GP. On that occasion, the New Zealand driver was called up to replace Daniel Ricciardo, after the Australian from Racing Bulls (then known as AlphaTauri) suffered an accident in training and also fractured his wrist, a notable detail that connects the two injury incidents in the same place and in the same event.

Lawson participated in five races with the team and, in 2024, was called up again to compete in six more races with Racing Bulls, following the early dismissal of Daniel Ricciardo. Over these two seasons, his best performance was ninth place, achieved on three occasions. These results led to his selection by Red Bull to take over the position that Sergio Pérez left in 2025.

However, Lawson failed to score points in the first two races of 2025, which resulted in his quick replacement by Yuki Tsunoda. Interestingly, Tsunoda also did not deliver the performance expected by the team, but his change only occurred later, at the end of the World Championship, showing the team’s different approaches to managing its drivers.