The last time an unexpected Red Bull family seat opened at Zandvoort, Lawson climbed into it. In 2023 it was Ricciardo, ruled out after a Turn 3 shunt in FP2 that broke a metacarpal in his left hand. Three years later, the injury is a wrist, the driver is Hadjar, and the door has swung open for Lawson again.

Red Bull confirmed on Wednesday that the Frenchman had picked up the injury during shutdown and would sit out at Zandvoort. Lawson, currently at sister team Racing Bulls, takes the RB22 alongside Max Verstappen this weekend.

Hadjar fractured the wrist on a heavy bag in the gym. Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater said boxing has been part of the 21-year-old’s routine since childhood.

“He includes boxing as part of his training; he did boxing as a child growing up, and he has fractured his wrist punching a heavy bag in the gym.”

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A second Red Bull chance in the same paddock

Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to partner Verstappen at the start of 2025, dropped after just two rounds, and returned to the junior team as Yuki Tsunoda took his seat. Hadjar earned the Red Bull promotion for 2026 after his rookie season at Racing Bulls, leaving Lawson to rebuild at the second team.

He has done exactly that. Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ standings with 43 points, and sixth-place finishes at Monaco and the British Grand Prix have made him the best-placed driver from outside Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren or Red Bull.

Tsunoda returns to the grid

The reshuffle also puts Tsunoda back into a race seat for the weekend. Displaced at the end of 2025 and moved into Red Bull’s reserve role, the Japanese driver returns to Racing Bulls alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad for a sprint weekend, the first ever run under the format at Zandvoort. Tsunoda brings 111 grand prix starts to a car whose other seat is held by a driver in his first F1 season.

Racing Bulls set out the arrangement briefly.

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“We thank both Liam and Yuki for their adaptability as the teams prepare for the weekend and we wish Isack a speedy recovery.”

Hadjar’s 2027 seat still points his way

The absence is expected to be short. Hadjar has two weeks to recover before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and Red Bull have already signalled he will remain Verstappen’s team-mate in 2027.

Zandvoort had also given Hadjar his best day in Formula 1. In 2025 the circuit handed him his only podium finish, a third place with Racing Bulls in his rookie year. Twelve months on, the same track has taken his seat away.

Race day is Sunday, 23 August, with lights out at 3pm local time.

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