Liam Lawson was not supposed to be back in a Red Bull this soon. Yet with Isack Hadjar sidelined by a fractured wrist, the New Zealander has landed another high-stakes chance at Formula 1 redemption on Madrid’s new circuit.
Nothing about the assignment feels comfortable. Lawson understands the RB22’s steering-wheel controls, start procedures, and power-unit settings after two substitute weekends. He still lacks the automatic feel that comes from months of driving one car. Brake migration, tyre preparation, and corner-entry balance must still become instinctive.
Madrid only sharpens that challenge. No driver owns a reliable notebook for this place. Fresh asphalt loops around the IFEMA exhibition grounds, while concrete walls squeeze parts of the racing line. Then comes La Monumental, a long banked corner unlike anything else on the calendar.
Lawson must learn all of it while working beside Max Verstappen, Formula 1’s most unforgiving benchmark. Red Bull wants points and clean technical feedback. Lawson wants something more personal: proof that his first failed promotion does not define him.
Hadjar’s Injury Opens the Door Again
Red Bull confirmed Monday that Liam Lawson will replace Isack Hadjar at the Madrid GP. Hadjar suffered a hairline wrist fracture during a boxing workout over the summer break and has already missed races at Zandvoort and Monza.
A team statement said Hadjar’s recovery “continues to progress positively,” but he remains unfit for the cockpit. The 21-year-old will travel to Madrid and support the team from the garage.
Given the demands of a Formula 1 car, rushing him back makes no sense. Fast corners place heavy loads through a driver’s wrists and forearms. Kerb strikes send sharp shocks through the steering column. Madrid’s long banked section will add another sustained physical test.
Hadjar’s absence also triggers movement at Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda will take Lawson’s regular seat again and partner rookie Arvid Lindblad. One training injury has forced two teams to reorganize their lineups for a third straight race.
For Lawson, though, this weekend feels less like emergency cover and more like an extended audition. He now has useful mileage in the RB22. Madrid will show how quickly he can turn that experience into speed.
Two Weekends Changed the Shape of Lawson’s Return
Zandvoort gave Lawson only one day in Red Bull’s simulator before he climbed into the car. The RB22 and Racing Bulls’ VCARB 03 share a power unit, but little else feels familiar from the cockpit.
“Outside of the power unit, every single thing feels different,” Lawson said during the Dutch weekend. He pointed to the steering response, corner balance, and high-speed grip as major differences.
Despite that limited preparation, he qualified eighth, only one-tenth behind Verstappen. Lawson then survived a wet and slippery opening lap in which Verstappen spun at the banked final corner directly ahead of him.
The New Zealander lifted early when he sensed the grip disappearing. That caution allowed him to avoid Verstappen’s crashing car and restart seventh. He held the position for the rest of the race, maintaining enough pace to remain clear of the midfield even after receiving a 10-second penalty for a yellow-flag infringement.
Team principal Laurent Mekies praised the performance on Sunday evening. Lawson had taken “the points that were available to him pace-wise,” Mekies said.
That drive offered something his first Red Bull spell never did: a controlled result under pressure.
The First Promotion Still Hangs Over Him
Red Bull placed Lawson beside Verstappen at the start of 2025, then demoted him after two races. He failed to score in Australia and China, while his qualifying struggles quickly became the defining image of that brief promotion.
The decision felt ruthless even by Red Bull’s standards. Lawson had entered the season with only 11 Grand Prix starts, and neither opening circuit offered much room for a struggling driver to find rhythm.
Though that stint now sits more than a year in the past, the sting of such a quick demotion likely remains fresh. Drivers remember public failure. They remember the timing screens, the radio silence, and the questions waiting outside the garage.
Lawson rebuilt himself at Racing Bulls. By the 2026 summer break, he had become a regular points threat and the highest-ranked driver outside Formula 1’s leading four teams. Sixth-place finishes at Monaco and Silverstone showed how far his race management had developed.
Filling in for Hadjar puts Lawson back next to Verstappen, but without the suffocating pressure of a permanent seat. That freedom helped at Zandvoort. Instead of trying to match his teammate through every corner, he concentrated on clean execution and steady improvement.
Madrid will test whether that calmer approach can survive a more complicated weekend.
Monza Exposed the Remaining Gaps
Lawson arrived in Italy with another unusual problem. Until Wednesday, he did not know whether he would race for Red Bull or return to Racing Bulls.
During Thursday’s media sessions at Monza, Lawson described preparing for two teams at once as the week’s biggest challenge. His simulator work had to cover cars with different steering feedback, balance characteristics, and setup demands.
Friday offered early encouragement. Lawson placed fourth in opening practice, four-tenths away from the fastest time. His weekend soon unraveled.
Red Bull installed several power-unit components beyond the permitted allocation, including a sixth internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and exhaust set. Those changes triggered an automatic back-of-the-grid penalty.
Overnight adjustments to the rear wing and suspension then broke parc fermé rules. Lawson started from the pit lane and finished 14th, more than 75 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.
The result looked poor beside Verstappen’s third place. Still, the raw finishing position hid several complications. Lawson started last, drove a changed setup, and spent much of the afternoon fighting through traffic.
More importantly, Monza gave him another 53 laps in the RB22. That mileage now becomes his only real advantage as Formula 1 leaves familiar ground behind and enters Madrid without an established setup book.
Madrid Leaves No Time for a Slow Start
Madrid will ask Lawson to process 22 corners across every 5.416-kilometer lap, with no old onboard footage or previous race data to guide his instincts. Some sections should force the RB22 through slow traction zones. Others will rush at him between walls before opening into faster, more committed bends.
The contrast will keep his hands busy. Lawson must judge how quickly the front tyres bite under braking, then feel whether the rear remains planted as he returns to the throttle. Each answer will arrive at racing speed.
Fresh asphalt adds another complication. Grip should change rapidly as cars lay rubber through practice, shifting braking points and altering the balance from one run to the next.
Friday will therefore demand discipline. Lawson must learn the racing line while helping Red Bull assess tyre wear and ride height. One mistake could cost valuable track time when the team needs every lap of data.
His cockpit familiarity should help. Lawson no longer needs to search for switches or relearn basic procedures. The harder work involves predicting how the RB22 will react when he releases the brakes or attacks a kerb.
That confidence usually develops over months. He has had two weekends.
La Monumental Becomes the Final Test
La Monumental will hold Lawson under lateral load for roughly 550 meters, wrapping him through a 270-degree arc as the banking rises beneath the car. Its steepest point reaches a 24 percent gradient.
Drivers could enter at between 180 and 200 kilometers per hour, then keep accelerating as the corner tightens their bodies against the cockpit padding. Lawson will feel the load build through his neck, arms, and hands while the tyres strain against the asphalt.
The corner rewards commitment, but it also punishes unnecessary steering movement. Scrubbing the front tyres through such a long arc could raise temperatures and weaken traction at the exit. A tight left-hander follows, offering a passing chance to anyone who stays close.
Lawson’s Zandvoort experience provides a useful reference. He has already driven the RB22 through steep banking and changing grip. Madrid presents a harsher test because La Monumental arrives at greater speed and holds the car under load for far longer.
There will also be little margin for gradual improvement. Verstappen should establish a competitive reference almost immediately. Every Lawson sector will appear beside it on Red Bull’s timing screens.
Trying to copy Verstappen too soon would invite trouble. Lawson instead needs to build speed without losing confidence, then attack when qualifying demands it.
A Clean Weekend Could Change the Conversation
For now, Lawson is keeping the seat warm while Hadjar recovers. That temporary status does not make the opportunity any less significant. Formula 1 careers often turn on weekends that were never part of the original plan.
Lawson does not need to beat Verstappen or chase an unlikely podium. A Q3 appearance, a disciplined race, and solid points would strengthen his standing throughout the paddock. More importantly, those results would show Red Bull that his Zandvoort performance was not a one-off.
Engineers will study his feedback. Team leaders will watch how he handles setbacks.
When the lights go out, a pack of fully fueled Formula 1 cars will attack La Monumental for the first time. The noise will roll across grandstands packed around the IFEMA exhibition halls. Beyond the barriers, Madrid’s skyline will frame the sport’s newest experiment.
Somewhere in that spectacle, Lawson will face a much older question.
Red Bull gave him one opportunity before taking it away almost immediately. Now, injury has handed him another. Can Lawson leave Madrid having changed the way Formula 1 remembers the first one?
READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli Beats George Russell to Win Italian Grand Prix
FAQs
Why is Liam Lawson replacing Isack Hadjar in Madrid?
Hadjar is still recovering from a fractured wrist suffered during a boxing workout. Red Bull chose Lawson to replace him for a third consecutive race.
How did Liam Lawson perform at Zandvoort?
Lawson qualified eighth and finished seventh. He stayed clear of Verstappen’s opening-lap crash and retained his position despite a 10-second penalty.
What happened to Lawson at the Italian Grand Prix?
Power-unit and setup changes forced Lawson to start from the pit lane. He finished 14th after spending much of the race in traffic.
What makes Madrid’s La Monumental corner special?
La Monumental runs for roughly 550 meters through a 270-degree arc. Its banking reaches a 24 percent gradient.
Could Lawson earn a permanent Red Bull seat?
Hadjar remains Red Bull’s regular driver, so Lawson’s role is temporary. Strong performances could still improve Lawson’s standing within the team and across Formula 1.
