Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda navigate driver changes at Zandvoort

At the Zandvoort Grand Prix, driver reshuffles within the Red Bull family saw both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda navigate significant technical and situational challenges.

Liam Lawson stepped in at the last minute for Red Bull to replace the injured Isack Hadjar. Despite having almost no preparation and needing to adapt to a new car and engineering team within hours, Lawson delivered a strong qualifying performance, finishing just over a tenth of a second behind Max Verstappen. He ultimately secured a seventh-place finish in the race, though Red Bull director Laurent Mekies noted that without Verstappen as a direct pace reference, it is difficult to fully evaluate his long-term rhythm.

Yuki Tsunoda returned to the Racing Bulls cockpit, replacing Lawson during the transition. Tsunoda faced the added complexity of adapting to the new 2026 technical regulations, which involve significant changes to energy management, steering wheel controls, and downforce levels. While Tsunoda finished outside the points—placing 13th in the sprint, 12th in qualifying, and 11th in the race—his performance was noted for its stability amidst the steep learning curve of the new hybrid systems and car dynamics.