Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar is set to miss the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury during routine training, opening the door for Liam Lawson to make a surprise return to the senior team.
Red Bull has yet to confirm the extent of Hadjar’s injury or announce that the Frenchman will be absent from this weekend’s event at Zandvoort. However, Hadjar is understood to be highly unlikely to recover sufficiently in time to compete in the first race following Formula 1’s summer break.
The identity of his replacement has also not officially been confirmed, although Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson is expected to step up and partner Max Verstappen for the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint weekend.
Should Lawson move across to Red Bull, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda is expected to take his place at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad.
Hadjar’s injury comes at an unfortunate point in what has otherwise been a relatively encouraging first season with Red Bull.
The 21-year-old was promoted to the senior team following an impressive rookie campaign with Racing Bulls and has generally produced a strong showing despite the difficulties presented by Red Bull’s 2026 car.
Hadjar is also expected to remain Verstappen’s team-mate for the 2027 Formula 1 season.
With 11 of the scheduled 23 rounds completed, Hadjar sits eighth in the drivers’ championship. He is currently 41 points behind Verstappen, who occupies sixth place in the standings.
Both drivers have struggled to consistently extract competitive results from a troublesome Red Bull package during a challenging campaign for the team.
Hadjar should at least have additional recovery time following the Dutch Grand Prix. Formula 1’s next round will be the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from September 4-6, giving him another two weeks to recover from the wrist problem.
The situation could also produce an unexpected opportunity for Lawson, whose previous experience with the senior Red Bull team ended abruptly.
The New Zealander was selected as Sergio Perez‘s replacement ahead of the 2025 season and began the campaign alongside Verstappen.
However, Lawson’s opportunity lasted just two races before Red Bull made the decision to drop him from the senior team and return him to Racing Bulls.
He was replaced by Tsunoda in a dramatic early-season driver change, with the Japanese racer spending the remainder of the 2025 campaign alongside Verstappen.
Tsunoda was ultimately unable to do enough to convince Red Bull to retain him in the seat beyond the end of that season.
A temporary promotion for Lawson at Zandvoort would therefore mark his first return to a Red Bull Formula 1 car in a race weekend since his short-lived spell with the team at the beginning of 2025.
It would also place him alongside Verstappen at the Dutchman’s home Grand Prix, adding another layer of attention to what is already expected to be a high-profile Sprint weekend.
For Lawson, the opportunity would represent a chance to demonstrate how much progress he has made since his difficult experience with Red Bull.
His original promotion came with significant expectations after Red Bull decided to move on from Perez, but he was given only two races before the team reversed its decision.
Lawson subsequently returned to Racing Bulls and has continued his Formula 1 career with Red Bull’s junior outfit.
Hadjar, meanwhile, has enjoyed considerably greater stability since earning his own promotion to the senior squad.
Although Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness has prevented both Hadjar and Verstappen from consistently challenging at the front, the Frenchman’s performances have helped establish him as a likely long-term part of the team’s plans.
His expected absence from Zandvoort would interrupt that progress but, provided the wrist injury does not prove more serious than anticipated, he could potentially return when the championship heads to Monza.
The reshuffle could also hand Tsunoda an unexpected Formula 1 opportunity.
If Lawson is called up by Red Bull, the 26-year-old Japanese driver is expected to deputise at Racing Bulls alongside Lindblad for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Tsunoda has been without a full-time Formula 1 seat since losing his place at Red Bull following the 2025 season, making a Zandvoort appearance particularly important as he considers his prospects for 2027.
A strong weekend could provide Tsunoda with an opportunity to remind teams of his abilities as he seeks a permanent return to the Formula 1 grid.
The unusual circumstances therefore have implications for several drivers within the wider Red Bull structure.
Hadjar’s priority will be recovering sufficiently to resume his promising first campaign with the senior team, while Lawson could unexpectedly find himself back alongside Verstappen less than two years after his previous opportunity ended.
For Tsunoda, meanwhile, a temporary Racing Bulls seat could offer valuable track time as he attempts to secure his Formula 1 future.
Red Bull are still to officially confirm their driver arrangements for Zandvoort, meaning the final line-ups remain subject to confirmation.
However, with Hadjar expected to be ruled out by his wrist injury, Lawson appears set to receive another opportunity in the Red Bull seat when Formula 1 returns from its summer break.
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