Liam Lawson made an immediate impression at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing seventh after being drafted into Red Bull at short notice. The New Zealander replaced the injured Isack Hadjar, marking his return to the senior team less than 18 months after his difficult two-race stint in 2025.
Lawson qualified a strong eighth, reaching Q3 for the first time as a Red Bull driver and finishing just over a tenth behind Max Verstappen in seventh. This came despite having to rapidly adapt to the RB22, which he admitted was significantly different from the Racing Bulls machinery he had driven all season.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was full of praise. "It's a very strong demonstration from Liam. One tenth from Max, jumping from another team. It's easy to forget that a year ago he had a nightmare experience here. Today he proved he can still do it," he told Sky Sports F1.
At the start, Lawson battled closely with Verstappen through the opening corners, but the Dutchman stayed ahead. Verstappen's race ended moments later when he crashed heavily at the final corner, leaving Lawson as Red Bull's sole runner after the red flag.
From there, Lawson spent most of the race running seventh, isolated from the leading six. Despite a late penalty for a yellow flag infringement, he brought the car home in the same position, securing his first points as a Red Bull driver.
Mekies believed seventh was the maximum possible. "It's so difficult to jump from one team to another. Liam did what he could. He took the points for seventh, and that's probably the best he could have done today," he said.
Lawson was less satisfied with his race pace, admitting he expected a tough afternoon after seeing Red Bull struggle in Saturday's sprint. "Today was hard. The first lap was fun, but from then we just struggled for pace," he said.
Lawson's return has provided a positive signal for Red Bull, showing he remains a valuable asset despite the challenges.
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