Red Bull to switch driver at Dutch GP as axed star set to return to outdated seat
Red Bull looks set to make a change to their driver line-up for the Dutch Grand Prix due to injury as an axed star is poised to return to his old seat
Isack Hadjar is set to miss the Dutch Grand Prix(Image: Mark Thompson, Getty Images)
Red Bull are set to make a change to their driver line-up for the Dutch Grand Prix due to injury.
The Milton Keynes-based team are poised to bring in Liam Lawson as a replacement for the injured Isack Hadjar, nearly 18 months after he was dropped from the team. Hadjar, 21, sustained a wrist injury during the summer break and is expected to sit out this weekend’s Dutch GP, according to reports in the Dutch press.
If the French driver is unable to compete at the Circuit Zandvoort, then Lawson could be drafted in from Racing Bulls. He was relegated after just two races in March 2025, a decision that left him in “shock”.
Liam Lawson is set to fill in for Isack Hadjar(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Hadjar’s injury could provide an opportunity for him to make his mark with the team in the Netherlands.
De Telegraaf has reported that Hadjar will be ruled out by his reported injury this weekend. His absence is likely to trigger a domino effect within the team.
Yuki Tsunoda also looks set for a return to F1 to fill the void left by Lawson. This would be somewhat ironic given that Tsunoda was the one who took over from Lawson, before he himself was let go in December of the previous year.
The irony continues as Lawson’s potential new chance with Red Bull comes at the very GP where he was first given his F1 break. In 2023, AlphaTauri called him up to stand in for Daniel Ricciardo when the Australian fractured his hand in a practice crash.
For Tsunoda, this weekend could represent a chance for him to safeguard his future in F1. The Japanese star is currently serving as the team’s reserve driver after failing to secure an F1 race seat for this season.
He has also been linked with a potential switch to IndyCar. Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist is slated to rejoin McLaren’s Indycar team next year, and Tsunoda has been identified as a possible successor.
For Hadjar, it now seems to be a matter of how long his absence will last. Dutch media have reported that he sustained his injury during a gym workout.
Following this weekend, the next GP won’t take place until Sunday, 6 September, when F1 heads to Monza for the Italian GP.
