Red Bull's decision to name Liam Lawson as Isack Hadjar's replacement for the Dutch Grand Prix has raised a big question: why not Arvid Lindblad? Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has finally explained.
Hadjar picked up an injury during the summer break, forcing Red Bull to find a quick substitute. Lawson, who was dropped from Red Bull last year after two disappointing rounds, has been called back. He becomes the first driver in Red Bull's history to get a second chance with the team.
Asked whether Arvid Lindblad was an option, Permane admitted to Sky F1 that it was considered. But the pragmatic choice was Lawson.
“Liam is a Red Bull driver. He just has his nose in front of Arvid this year. To settle on the more experienced [driver] is the right thing to do for them. It's fairly normal for a team to take one of their drivers, even if he happens to be driving for another team,” Permane said, citing the example of Lewis Hamilton's COVID absence in Bahrain, when George Russell was pulled from Williams.
With Lawson moving up, Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to Racing Bulls. Permane admitted he had little say in the decision. “What Red Bull has done, we discussed it - I wouldn't say I had a huge amount of influence on it, I'm not sure Liam had a huge amount of influence on it. It's definitely the right thing to do, honestly, and Arvid is fine about it. He completely gets it,” he said.
The decision underscores Red Bull's priority on experience amid title pressure. Lawson now faces a tough task: racing at Zandvoort with an unfamiliar car. Meanwhile, Lindblad, still young, gets a clear message that patience is key.
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