A third straight weekend in someone else's seat
Liam Lawson will drive for Red Bull Racing again at the first-ever Madrid Grand Prix, his third consecutive race weekend deputising for an injured Isack Hadjar. Lawson, normally Red Bull's sister-team driver at Racing Bulls, first stepped up at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix, stayed in the car through Monza, and continues the arrangement in Madrid with Hadjar still not fit to return.
What actually happened to Hadjar
Hadjar suffered a wrist injury during a training session over the summer break — reported as a hairline fracture sustained during a routine boxing workout, not a track incident. Red Bull says he has continued to "progress positively" in his recovery, but he isn't yet ready to return to the cockpit. He's expected in Madrid to support the team from the paddock rather than the car.
The three-way reshuffle: Lawson up, Tsunoda down
Hadjar's absence didn't just affect one seat — it triggered a three-way reshuffle across Red Bull's two teams. With Lawson moving up to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda has moved the other way, taking over Lawson's vacated seat at Racing Bulls for the duration of the arrangement. It's a reminder of how tightly linked Red Bull's two entries really are: a single injury at one team reshapes the driver lineup at both.
How the stand-in has actually performed
Lawson's two races in the senior car have produced a P7 and a P14 — a reasonable return given he's adjusting to a different car and team on short notice, twice over. Tsunoda, meanwhile, has scored a P11 and a P10 back at Racing Bulls, results that suggest the swap hasn't meaningfully disrupted either driver's underlying pace.
What's next
Whether this becomes a four-race arrangement depends entirely on Hadjar's recovery timeline, which Red Bull has so far described only as "progressing positively" without a firm return date. See our Madrid Grand Prix preview for the fuller picture of this weekend's race at the all-new Madring circuit.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Liam Lawson driving for Red Bull Racing instead of Isack Hadjar?
Hadjar suffered a wrist injury — reported as a hairline fracture from a boxing workout during the summer break — and hasn't yet recovered enough to return. Lawson, normally a Racing Bulls driver, has stepped up to cover his seat.
How many races has Liam Lawson covered for Isack Hadjar?
Three consecutive weekends as of the Madrid Grand Prix: the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and now Madrid.
Who is driving for Racing Bulls while Liam Lawson fills in at Red Bull?
Yuki Tsunoda has moved from Red Bull Racing down to Racing Bulls to cover Lawson's vacated seat for the duration of the arrangement.
How has Liam Lawson performed filling in at Red Bull Racing?
He's scored a P7 and a P14 in his two races so far — a reasonable return given the short-notice adjustment to a different car and team.
Pippa has followed open-wheel racing for 12 years, from Formula 1's turbo-hybrid era to IndyCar's short ovals, and has watched competitive sim racing grow from a niche hobby into a genuine motorsport discipline in its own right. She covers circuit and open-wheel racing, touring cars and esports for CNMOTOS.
View all articles by Pippa Cook →
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