Hadjar injury blow forces red bull to turn to Lawson for Dutch GP

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar is set to miss this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury during training, with Liam Lawson stepping in as his replacement, the Formula 1 team confirmed on Wednesday.

New Zealand driver Liam Lawson, 24, currently races for Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls, which has traditionally served as a development pathway for young Red Bull talent. Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ championship.

His promotion to Red Bull for the Dutch Grand Prix represents a temporary return to the senior team, having previously made his Formula 1 debut at Zandvoort in 2023

Lawson entered the F1 grid after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri when the Australian suffered a broken wrist.

“The Team wishes Isack a speedy recovery and thanks Liam for stepping in on short notice,” Red Bull said in a statement.

With Lawson moving up to Red Bull, former Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda will take his place at Racing Bulls for the weekend.

Tsunoda, 26, will partner British-Swedish rookie Arvid Lindblad. The Japanese driver lost his full-time Red Bull seat at the end of last season and was subsequently moved into a test and reserve role with both Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

Hadjar currently sits eighth in the drivers’ standings with 68 points, while his Red Bull teammate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen is sixth on 109 points

Red Bull had announced in December last year that the then-21-year-old Hadjar would replace Tsunoda for the 2026 season.

Racing Bulls also praised the flexibility of both drivers as the teams prepare for the weekend.

“We thank both Liam and Yuki for their adaptability as the teams prepare for the weekend and we wish Isack a speedy recovery,” the team said.

The Dutch Grand Prix will serve as the 12th round of the Formula 1 season, with the championship then moving to Italy for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza two weeks later.

Lawson will now have an important opportunity to impress in the Red Bull seat as the team continues to assess its driver options for the future.