After a brief yet problematic stint with Red Bull in Formula 1, Liam Lawson has once again demonstrated his potential at the Dutch Grand Prix, this weekend in Zandvoort. With Verstappen’s usual teammate, Isack Hadjar, sidelined due to injury, Lawson was called to take the RB22 of the Frenchman.
For Red Bull, this decision was the most logical, considering Lawson’s experience in F1 compared to the rookie Arvid Lindblad, and his knowledge of the 2026 cars compared to the reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, who filled his spot at Racing Bulls.
Lawson sensed he had much more at stake. The Zandvoort circuit represented the opportunity to rectify the mistakes of his first stint at Red Bull, which lasted only two races at the beginning of 2025 before he was abruptly replaced by Tsunoda by the previous team principal, Christian Horner.
At Zandvoort, Lawson treated the sprint sessions as if they were a normal weekend to prepare for Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifying. Without much difficulty, he advanced to the final qualifying round, achieving a time of 1:11.733 that secured him eighth place on the grid, just 0.570s behind the pole, and a tenth behind his teammate Verstappen, at a time when Red Bull was showing difficulties with its pace in front of the Dutch local crowd.
“It has been a huge challenge trying to adapt in such a short time, but obviously the goal was to keep improving throughout the weekend,” Lawson commented on his experience at Zandvoort. “It was good work from everyone to help me feel comfortable in the car. I think I’ve extracted almost everything I could from the vehicle.”
His performance at Zandvoort represents a complete turnaround compared to his previous debut with Red Bull, where he qualified 18th at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix and 20th at the next race in China. “The best way to describe it is that, outside of the engine group, everything feels different,” Lawson explained about the new generation of F1 cars for 2026, emphasizing that, unlike the RB21, the RB22 is less difficult to drive, with which he has felt more comfortable.
After gaining experience and improving his skills over a year and a half, Lawson feels ready and is a more complete driver. “I’ve always known that under different circumstances, things would have gone differently,” added Lawson, reaffirming his determination to continue proving his worth in the competition.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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