In Hadjar’s absence, Lawson proved a more than reliable deputy for Red Bull – the same side that demoted him just two races into 2025.
At the Dutch Grand Prix, the Kiwi defied limited preparation time in a new car to take seventh-place as the only one of Red Bull’s four cars to finish in the points, after Verstappen crashed on the opening lap. That came after qualifying just 0.115s behind Verstappen.
And while Lawson was unfortunate to miss a top-10 finish at the Italian Grand Prix after sustaining front wing damage, taking sixth at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid saw him bank 14 championship points from his three race stint.
Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
Returning to Racing Bulls gives Lawson clarity in his preparation for this weekend’s grand prix, having split his efforts between the two teams’ cars in previous race weeks while Hadjar recovered.
What’s more, doing so in Baku sees Lawson back in the Racing Bulls car one year on from achieving his best result, after taking fifth, having qualified third at last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In Lawson’s absence, Racing Bulls’ lead over Alpine in the constructors championship has been cut to just 11 points, having been handed a huge boost by Pierre Gasly being stripped of his podium finish from the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in the season.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend begins on Thursday night (NZT), after it was brought forward by one day to avoid clashing with the nation’s annual remembrance day on September 27.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.