Lawson makes history with Red Bull recall

Never in Red Bull's 22-year history in Formula 1 has the six-time World Championship-winning team recalled a driver they had previously parted ways with. Usually, once you get demoted or fired by Red Bull, that's the end of the line. But at this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, Liam Lawson becomes the exception to the rule.

Admittedly, there's a slice of good fortune in this recall, with regular racer Isack Hadjar unable to take part after picking up an injury during the summer break, meaning this will only be a short-term opportunity. But it's nonetheless an impressive turnaround considering the events of 14 months ago when Lawson was demoted from Red Bull after just two rounds – and shows how far the New Zealander has come that Red Bull have turned to him to fill in.

A rebuilt confidence

Heading into the 2025 campaign, Lawson was on the highest of highs, having fended off competition from Yuki Tsunoda to get the nod alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull after two impressive stints with the energy drinks sister team. However, his time at Red Bull was short, with Tsunoda getting the nod for the remainder of the season.

It was a tough blow, but Lawson rebuilt his confidence and his consistency over the next few months to deliver a performance strong enough to keep his seat this season, this time alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad. He kicked on this year, emerging as the leading driver outside the top-four teams and is currently on a run of six points finishes in the last seven events — form that put him in the box seat for the shot at Red Bull when the factory team needed a back-up for Zandvoort.

Far less pressure this time

This is a huge opportunity for Lawson – and one that comes with far less pressure than when he last took the wheel of a Red Bull car. The New Zealander has never driven the 2026-spec Red Bull and will have had very little time to prepare for his debut this weekend, so getting a result out of it will be very tough, even with his recent form.

The positive of that, though, is that expectations will be much lower. That should suit Lawson nicely, allowing him to drive freely as he has all year with Racing Bulls and make the most of this unlikely opportunity. Red Bull is also a different team to the one he left, with Laurent Mekies – whom he knows well – now at the helm, and while it hasn't been a race-winning machine this year, it is known to be more driveable than last year's car.

The form Hadjar has shown means this is only a temporary opportunity for Lawson, but it does present the chance for him to boost his standing within the wider Red Bull ecosystem. If he impresses in Zandvoort and then continues that form at Racing Bulls, even if that doesn't translate into a full-time return to Red Bull, it will increase the chances of him staying with the Faenza-based team for 2027 — a spot that is far from certain given rookie teammate Lindblad's form and Red Bull junior and F2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings.

Tsunoda's golden chance

With Lawson stepping up to Red Bull, it provides a golden opportunity for Tsunoda to make a remarkable return to the grid. The Japanese racer has been in a reserve role with Red Bull and Racing Bulls this year but has been itching to get back in the fight.

After initially getting linked with a seat at Haas for next year, his chances of a return looked to be diminishing, so this recall is perfectly timed. Tsunoda's best results came when he raced for Racing Bulls, and that experience will be critical in helping him quickly assimilate — but he and the team will know he faces a mammoth task given he hasn't driven any 2026 machinery.

This year's cars, built to sweeping new chassis and power unit rules, need to be driven in a different way to previous generations of cars, so Tsunoda will have to learn very quickly. Compared to Lawson, expectations will be even lower given the scale of the challenge — but such chances don't come around very often. If Tsunoda wants to boost his chances of finding a seat on the grid next year, it won't be so much about the result but more about doing a solid job and impressing his team with the way he handles everything.