Liam Lawson returns to Racing Bulls for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a three-race super-sub stint at Red Bull, where the New Zealander scored points twice and drew praise from team boss Laurent Mekies despite entering with minimal preparation time.
Lawson stepped in for injured Isack Hadjar across three Grands Prix, finishing seventh in the Netherlands and sixth in Madrid. He heads into Baku sitting 12 points and one place behind Hadjar — who holds P8 in the drivers’ standings — and three places adrift of Max Verstappen, a result Formula 1.com describes as a strong showing given the circumstances.
“I think he’s done a very good job,” Red Bull principal Laurent Mekies said after the Madrid race. “We all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think that he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.”
Mekies added: “He has continued to grow as a driver. He’s very calm in the car, he is very focused. He’s managed to keep things simple in the way he interacts with the team and in the way he tackles his own performance and the car performance.”
Lawson averaged approximately two points less per race than Hadjar across the Frenchman’s 11 outings this season, though the comparison is limited by Lawson’s three-race sample. Hadjar scored eight times in 2026, including a second career podium in Monaco. Lawson also faced the added complexity of preparing for both the Red Bull and Racing Bulls car each weekend, given uncertainty over Hadjar’s return date.
The call-up marked Lawson’s second stint at the factory team. His first, at the start of 2025, lasted just two races before he was demoted to Racing Bulls. He responded by scoring seven times across the 2025 season and earning a full 2026 campaign alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad, whom he has outperformed this year. Before his Red Bull call-up, Lawson had recorded six points finishes in seven races — form that placed Racing Bulls in genuine contention for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, which would be the highest finish in the Faenza-based team’s history since its founding in 2006.
Despite his performances, Lawson is not believed to be in contention for a permanent Red Bull seat. His more immediate concern is securing his Racing Bulls drive for 2027. Team Principal Alan Permane has yet to confirm the squad’s lineup, and Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov — currently leading the F2 championship — is considered a candidate for the seat.