A wrist injury suffered by Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar during the summer break has ruled the French driver out of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, unexpectedly handing both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda a fresh chance to rebuild their standing. Lawson has been drafted in to replace Hadjar at Red Bull Racing, while Tsunoda—who is the reserve driver for both teams—will step into Lawson’s seat at Racing Bulls.
It remains unclear whether Hadjar will be fit enough to return for the Italian Grand Prix on September 4–6. Red Bull did not share much additional detail, apart from stating that Hadjar “sustained a wrist injury during summer shutdown that will prevent him from racing at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. We will be welcoming back Liam Lawson who will replace him in RB22 this weekend. The team wishes Isack a speedy recovery and thanks Liam for stepping in on short notice.” Racing Bulls also said: “We thank both Liam and Yuki for their adaptability as the teams prepare for the weekend and we wish Isack a speedy recovery.”
Although Tsunoda was naturally an available option to take Hadjar’s place, promoting Lawson appears to be the sensible decision—particularly because Zandvoort is hosting a sprint weekend, with only one practice session on Friday before sprint qualifying begins. The New Zealander has already raced 11 times this year, meaning he is familiar with the demanding 2026 cars, the details of the Ford power unit, and the latest Pirelli tyres. He has also been in strong form recently, scoring solidly alongside rookie team-mate Lindblad. By coincidence, Lawson’s opportunity comes at the same circuit where Daniel Ricciardo’s hand injury during practice in 2023 opened the door for Lawson’s Formula 1 debut with the then-AlphaTauri team.
On paper, Lawson stands a much better chance than Tsunoda of getting up to speed quickly in the Red Bull. He already knows the Milton Keynes-based squad and its working methods, having taken part in pre-season testing and the first two races of 2025 before being demoted—ironically, in favour of Tsunoda. There is a fair argument that Lawson was never really given enough time to prove himself alongside Max Verstappen at the senior team, and now he has a chance to make that point. The environment at Red Bull Racing is also no longer the same as it was when he lost that seat, with both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko no longer present.
A permanent return to Red Bull Racing still appears unlikely—unless Verstappen departs and opens up a seat—but a strong showing could at least improve Lawson’s prospects of keeping his Racing Bulls drive in 2027. Although he has performed well, rookie Arvid Lindblad has been applying serious pressure and continues to improve race by race. At the same time, FIA Formula 2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov is waiting in the background. That leaves Racing Bulls facing a three-drivers-for-two-seats scenario, and history suggests that younger contenders usually hold the advantage.
For Tsunoda, the lack of mileage in the 2026 machinery and the intensity of the sprint format would have made a direct step into the RB22 a far tougher assignment. On top of that, he is still very much in rebuild mode after a difficult 2025 campaign alongside Verstappen at Red Bull. A weekend back in the familiar Racing Bulls set-up—where he raced in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and the opening two rounds of 2025—gives him a valuable opportunity to regain confidence and put the disappointments of last season behind him.
Even if a full-time comeback within the Red Bull system looks improbable for Tsunoda, especially with Lindblad, Tsolov, and others progressing through the pipeline, a convincing weekend in Holland—particularly under sprint-race conditions—could still attract attention from rival teams. For him, there is effectively nothing to lose and everything to gain.
