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Liam Lawson's Red Bull return confirmed

By 1News Reporters
7:30am
Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the F1 race car No 30, the Racing Bulls VCARB 03

Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the F1 race car No 30, the Racing Bulls VCARB 03 (Source: Getty)

Liam Lawson's shock return to Red Bull has been confirmed, with the Kiwi replacing Isack Hadjar for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix due to injury.

Lawson, who lasted just two races at Red Bull at the start of last season before being demoted to Racing Bulls, will partner Max Verstappen.

Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson at Red Bull before losing his seat for 2026, will take Lawson's place in the junior team.

Lawson had enjoyed a strong 2026 season with Racing Bulls, entering Formula 1's summer break ninth in the driver's championship on 43 points — the highest ranked driver outside the sport's top four teams.

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Lawson and 19-year-old rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad had strong 2026 seasons, fighting for points and emerging as a closely matched pairing at Racing Bulls.

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Lando Norris wins Hungarian Grand Prix, Lawson eighth

The 24-year-old Racing Bulls driver scooped four points for his eighth place finish, putting him ninth overall in the Formula 1 standings with 43 points.

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The Racing Bulls driver was 10th fastest in the opening practice session (FP1) before improving to seventh in FP2, setting a best lap of 1m 20.041s at the Hungaroring.

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Lawson said he was "going to have to bring something a little bit extra" to match his teammate, who was chosen to receive new upgrades to his VCARB 03 for the weekend.

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