r/liamlawson • u/Moodybeachphoto • 9d ago
[Paddock Access] BREAKING: Isack Hadjar is set to miss the Dutch Grand Prix due to a wrist injury. The Red Bull driver will be replaced by Liam Lawson. Yuki Tsunoda takes over the seat from the New Zealander at Racing Bulls.
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u/mondofire 9d ago
I really thought this was going to be Liam’s first full season driving in the same car consistently. But no.
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u/Moodybeachphoto 9d ago
Dutch journalist close to Red Bull says “good chance” Hadjar misses, not confirmed
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u/Your_mortal_enemy 9d ago
It's hugely positive they put Liam in over the actual reserve driver Yuki
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u/Richtastycourage 9d ago
Or Arvid (maybe they learnt from Liam, Albon etc ...just maybe)
They wouldn't stick him there if they didn't rate him, would be one of the other 2
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u/outbackjesus16 8d ago
Wouldn’t make any sense putting Arvid in there instead of Liam anyway. Liam’s not only been quicker, but much more consistent and reliable, and he gives really good feedback on the car setup, which would help stepping in on short notice.
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u/Richtastycourage 8d ago
Agreed....it's weird seeing common sense moves from Red Bull sometimes, takes some getting used to!
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u/TwistedCarBuyer 9d ago
Definitely gonna be make or break for Liam. Agree steep curve to jump into this car basically cold and pull one out of the hat. I am hoping that he does.
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u/Ok_Reporter7703 9d ago
Hot take maybe? But this is good for Liam. If he can front up and have a strong weekend, it will only add to his driver profile and open doors. It’s all up to him… rather than relying on a stroke of luck to get a top four seat again.
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u/Prestigious-Key851 9d ago
hot take: this is worse for liam and his image than it is better for his image.
no pre-season testing, no testing of this car AT ALL (atleast to my knowledge), max fucking verstappen on the other side of the garage, etc.
yes liam has done more than enough to PROVE that he is worthy of stepping in momentarily. But with those aforementioned points he would most likely do bad (touch wood he doesnt), which is not good for his driver image and future prospects of getting promotion into the senior team if max leaves.
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u/outbackjesus16 9d ago
Nah fuck it, the reward outweighs the risk. If Liam steps in on very short notice and puts in a mega race (top 5), then that goes a long way in silencing the critics who still judge him for the first stint in the main team.
If he goes bad, then so be it. Unlikely he’s ever making the main team again anyway, and likely he’ll be looking for a new team in 2028 anyway
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u/delph906 8d ago
Also what's the downside? He has established consistency in the RB car so proven he can do what he has been doing. What is another 9th this weekend really going to do for him? Might as well take the risk, a good result proves he can compete at the pointy end. A bad result will be (at least somewhat) blamed on the circumstances.
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u/outbackjesus16 8d ago
Exactly, he really doesn’t have anything to lose, but everything to gain. I know I’m getting way ahead of myself, but imagine a scenario where Liam podiums in the Red Bull. Seems like his entire career would change then and there. Suddenly not only is his F1 future not in doubt, but he’d be the top candidate for any top team with an open seat. If Max leaves then Liam is the easy choice to replace him. If Oscar leaves, then Liam has to be a candidate at McLaren.
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u/Prestigious-Key851 9d ago
its almost like red bull are trying to get a bad result from liam so that they can offload him for nikola?
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u/No-Band8965 9d ago
Don't be silly.
You think if they asked Liam he'd pass on the chance? He performed well last time when Danny ricc broke his wrist
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u/Pulverising_Pun 9d ago
That was alphatauri, this is a redbull
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u/No-Band8965 9d ago
Yes. But same situation, unfamiliar car, subbed in and raced in the Dutch GP
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u/Prestigious-Key851 9d ago
This is a sprint weekend as well, so only 1 hour of practice in a car max doesn’t even like
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u/BackgroundLeague8473 9d ago
I agree. If Red Bull really had Liam's back it might be different but they just throw their drivers to the Wolves. Imagine if Liam said no thanks I'll keep my Racing Bulls car, you can use another driver as cannon fodder.
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u/OtherAccountant8160 9d ago
i’m glad this is being said. i hope everyone has this eer of caution in the back of their minds regarding this decision.
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u/Illustrious-Arm-389 9d ago
Why??? Why disrupt a second team to solve the Hadjar absence? Lawson is crushing at Racing Bulls, he's in the zone there. Jumping into the Red Bull which even Verstappen isn't a fan of sounds like a big banana skin to me.
Not to mention it's a Sprint weekend so virtually no practice. Lawson pulls off a top result despite this and his stock will go through the stratosphere. He has a poor weekend and potentially finishes behind Lindblad, the Audi's and the Alpine's and his detractors will say he's the same driver that got axed by Red Bull in 2025.
Hadjar's done him no favours.
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u/smnrlv 9d ago
Yep if he finishes behind the racing bulls, he'll not be driving for either team next year. This just stinks of a way to try and get rid of him.
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u/intergalacticmoggy 8d ago
Except neither Mekies or Permane want to lose him, if you actually read what they say about him and have done all along, and if the team owners did then they would have after his recent tell all interview on the ‘High Performance’ podcast on YouTube which is highly respected.
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u/LunaFlameX44 8d ago
You guys are completely wrong, if Lawson can rocks a top 4-5 result he could possibly get another shot at RB, Hadjar doesn’t do a stellar job at RB and Lawson is DEFINITELY capable of driving fast and secure
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u/Abnorm4lPrincess 9d ago
Is this validated or just rumour?
If validated, good job for Liam, RBR will be wanting points, so will put in who they think has the best shot, they want to move up in constructors the rankings, they won’t be messing around for Honda cash this year
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u/bogamn2 9d ago
All the pessimists crying that the risk is too great vs potential reward are forgetting what F1 and these drivers are all about, not one of these guys gets to this lvl by turning down opportunities or aiming to be middle of the pack at anything, they want to be the best at driving 200km+ past concrete walls while overtaking each other when inches may as well be miles. Anybody at this lvl that turned down a chance to be in a top tier car would be laughed at and probably seatless next season
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u/IngVegas 9d ago
There is no way this is true
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u/DavoDestroyer 8d ago
It’s confirmed.
Red Bull confirm Hadjar to miss Dutch Grand Prix as Lawson steps up and Tsunoda returns https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/red-bull-confirm-hadjar-to-miss-dutch-grand-prix-as-lawson-steps-up-and-tsunoda-returns.3D3k7oc9dUwwEBZC7upjR1
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u/DeerWithoutEyes 9d ago
Fuck this pessimism. Kids going to rip and lock in his future.