Lawson Secures Third Red Bull Race as Hadjar Recovers
Isack Hadjar will sit out a third consecutive race as his recovery from a fractured wrist rules him out of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, handing Liam Lawson another chance alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Hadjar picked up a hairline fracture in a wrist bone during the summer break in what should have been a routine boxing workout. Instead, it has wiped out his return run with the world champions, costing him outings in Zandvoort, Monza and now Madrid.
Red Bull moved quickly to confirm continuity.
“After racing for the team in Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to drive alongside Max at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid,” the team said, stressing that Hadjar’s recovery is “progressing positively” but not far enough for him to climb back into the cockpit. He will, though, be in the Madrid paddock, embedded with the team as they plot another points haul.
“Everyone at Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Isack back behind the wheel very soon,” the statement added.
A second chance Lawson is grabbing
Lawson’s return to the top team has already carried a different tone to his brief and bruising spell at the start of 2025, when two underwhelming outings preceded his exit.
Back in the car at Zandvoort, he parked any doubts. One tenth off Verstappen in qualifying at one of the Dutchman’s strongest circuits, then seventh at the flag in the Dutch Grand Prix – a sharp, composed drive that stood in stark contrast to his earlier Red Bull stint.
Monza was messier, but the raw pace still flickered through the chaos. His best qualifying lap was hampered when Oscar Piastri impeded him, leaving Lawson stranded in Q2. Engine penalties then dumped him into a pit-lane start. An early standing restart brought contact with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, a damaged front wing and an enforced stop that left him fighting from deep in the pack. He salvaged 14th while Verstappen took another podium.
It was not the clean showcase he wanted, but the speed – and his calm in a scrambled race – has kept the door open. Madrid now becomes another live audition.
Tsunoda steady at Racing Bulls, but under scrutiny
While Red Bull reshuffle around Hadjar’s injury, Yuki Tsunoda’s form at Racing Bulls has turned heads again.
The 26-year-old has stitched together two solid weekends. At Zandvoort he finished just ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad, then backed it up at Monza with 10th place and a hard-earned point.
That Monza result may yet be dragged back into the spotlight. Audi are expected to appeal over an incident at the standing restart, when Tsunoda lined up in the wrong grid slot and triggered an extra formation lap. The stewards’ handling of that sequence could still shape the final classification.
For Tsunoda, dropped by Red Bull last season and fighting to rebuild his reputation, the timing of this form matters. So does his availability.
“I'm free! Would love to hear those calls, but not yet,” he said before the Italian Grand Prix, underlining his push for a full-time return. “Obviously, my primary target is to be in Formula 1. Let's see. In this world anything can happen. At the same time, it's also knowing that it's not easy to have a seat.”
The grid for 2027 feels a long way off, but drives are already being informally weighed and measured. Perform now, or be forgotten.
Madrid weekend: Verstappen’s hunt, Lawson’s window
The new-era Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid offers a different kind of pressure for the Red Bull camp. Verstappen, locked in his own championship fight, expects nothing less than precision. Lawson, armed with another race weekend, must deliver it.
Hadjar watches from the garage, his comeback delayed by a few more weeks of healing bone and patient rehab. Tsunoda, in the sister camp, chases more points with a possible appeal hanging over his last result.
Three careers, one weekend in Madrid. How many of them will still be on this grid when 2027 finally rolls around?
