Liam Lawson has shared his thoughts ahead of his return to Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix, with the New Zealander expecting a \u201cchallenging\u201d but \u201cexciting\u201d weekend as he prepares to substitute for Isack Hadjar.<\/p>\n
It was confirmed on Wednesday that Hadjar<\/a> would be unable to participate<\/a> in the event at Zandvoort after sustaining a wrist injury, meaning that Lawson<\/a> would step up from sister outfit Racing Bulls<\/a> to replace the Frenchman. Yuki Tsunoda<\/a>, meanwhile, will fill in for Lawson.<\/p>\n The news marks Lawson\u2019s first race for Red Bull<\/a> since his brief two-round stint for the squad in 2025, with the team subsequently deciding to demote him back to Racing Bulls in a direct swap with Tsunoda.<\/p>\n Quizzed on his emotions at returning to the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Lawson explained during Thursday\u2019s media day in Zandvoort<\/a>: \u201cIt’s obviously not what I expected coming into this weekend, but it\u2019s a good opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve had quite a good season so far this year. For me, I’m just focused on trying to continue that this weekend, although it’s in a different car. That’s what I’m focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n Having enjoyed a strong run during the first half of 2026 with Racing Bulls, Lawson was also asked if he felt more confident this time around at Red Bull.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, for sure in terms of just being in Formula 1,\u201d the 24-year-old answered. \u201cI’ve had a lot more races since then as well. I feel much more comfortable racing in this sport, but it’s going to be a very challenging weekend, for sure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a Sprint weekend, so it’s going to be a quick learning process tomorrow. But that’s what we’re focused on, that\u2019s what we tried to do yesterday in the simulator. If we can try and speed up that learning process as much as possible, then that would help our weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n