Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar will miss this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury during Formula 1’s summer break.
The Frenchman is understood to have broken his wrist while boxing and will be replaced at Zandvoort by Liam Lawson, who normally competes for Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls.
Lawson’s temporary promotion creates another opportunity for the New Zealander with Red Bull after a difficult spell alongside Max Verstappen at the beginning of the 2025 season. He had originally been expected to spend that campaign with the senior team but was moved back to Racing Bulls after only two races following an underwhelming start.
Yuki Tsunoda will step into Lawson’s Racing Bulls seat for the Dutch weekend. The Japanese driver currently serves as Red Bull’s reserve after losing his place with the main team at the end of last season.
The reshuffle comes during a challenging 2026 campaign for Red Bull. Verstappen, a four-time world champion, has yet to record a victory this season, with runner-up finishes in Austria and Hungary representing his strongest results so far.
That is a significant change from the closing stages of 2025, when Verstappen mounted a major championship comeback. He erased more than 100 points of his deficit during the second half of the year before ultimately finishing just two points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris in the title standings.
This weekend will also mark Verstappen’s final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort under the current Formula 1 calendar. The seaside circuit is set to disappear from the schedule after the 2026 race, with organisers unable to keep the event financially sustainable.