Tsunoda, who took the Kiwi’s place at Red Bull after his rapid demotion, lost his seat at the end of the 2025 season, after he was understood to be in a two-way shootout with Lawson for the final place at Racing Bulls.
Similarly, the move is also a vote of confidence in Lawson by Red Bull, at a time where the Kiwi’s future remains undecided.
Reports had linked Lawson with losing his seat to Bulgarian teenager Nikola Tsolov at the end of the season, even if they were robustly denied by Racing Bulls.
However, Lawson’s place on the 2027 grid is still to be determined.
Lawson being promoted, in the short term at the very least, is just reward for the Kiwi’s stellar first half of 2026. He sits ninth in the drivers’ championship with 43 points as the championship’s “best of the rest” – the top driver outside the top four teams.
Furthermore, he along with teammate Arvid Lindblad (23 points) have led Racing Bulls to fifth in the constructors’ championship, in what would represent the best finish in the team’s history.
Lawson’s opportunity at Zandvoort will be slightly hindered by the Dutch Grand Prix also being a sprint weekend, and therefore limit him to just one practice session on Friday night (NZT).
Regardless, Lawson returning to Red Bull gives the Kiwi the chance to right a huge wrong in his career.
No driver had ever been given as short a leash as Lawson in having two races, with the move understood by the Herald to have been influenced by commercial factors connected to Honda, Red Bull’s former engine supplier.
What’s more, the return happening through an injury at Zandvoort is also identical to the scenario that played out in 2023, where Lawson deputised for an injured Daniel Ricciardo – coincidentally also due to a wrist injury – after a crash in practice.
On that occasion, Lawson finished 13th after qualifying 20th, showing skill well beyond his years in changing conditions.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.