Lawson reaches Q3 in Red Bull return at Dutch GP
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 22, 2026
Lawson returns to Red Bull
Liam Lawson’s return to Red Bull produced a sharp step forward at Zandvoort. Recalled to the senior team after Isack Hadjar injured his wrist during the summer break, Lawson reached Q3 in qualifying for the first time as a Red Bull driver and took eighth on the grid for the Dutch Grand Prix with a lap of 1:11.733. It was a solid answer after a difficult stretch in the car and a reminder of why Red Bull brought him back. Lawson finished just over a tenth of a second behind Max Verstappen, who qualified seventh in the other Red Bull, and the margin suggested he had more in hand than the final numbers showed. Telemetry indicated Lawson ran closer to Verstappen across the lap than the timing gap reflected, with his strongest gains coming in the second sector. Verstappen picked up a small edge in the final sector by deploying more electrical energy, which helped keep the gap intact. Lawson’s run also marked a strong rebound in the context of his wider Red Bull story. He returned to the senior squad about 18 months after the team dropped him following just two races. His Dutch GP weekend also carried some history. Lawson made his Formula 1 debut at Zandvoort in 2023, when he stepped into an AlphaTauri seat for the injured Daniel Ricciardo after Ricciardo broke his hand in practice. This time, Lawson delivered a more complete qualifying effort and showed he could adapt quickly after another sudden call-up.
Verstappen sees Red Bull pace issues
Verstappen left qualifying clear about Red Bull’s problems at Zandvoort. He said the team lacked pace and did not solve its balance and grip issues with setup changes after the Sprint. Red Bull, he said, could not match McLaren, Mercedes or Ferrari. He also described the RB22 as lacking confidence and poise, a blunt assessment from a driver who has spent years building results around a car that usually responds well to his style. That kind of feedback gave Lawson’s effort more context. He had said the Red Bull felt very different from the Racing Bulls car, especially in steering feel and seating position, and that the gap in feel forced him to stop trying to copy Verstappen’s setup. Instead, Lawson adjusted the pedals, steering and other elements to suit himself. He said tailoring the RB22 to his own preferences helped him perform strongly on his return. The approach mattered. In a team that often works around Verstappen’s benchmark, Lawson chose a path that fit his own driving and found more speed for it. He will start eighth and his race target is straightforward. He said he wants to hold position, fight for points and keep learning. That leaves Red Bull with one car chasing the front group and another driver trying to turn a promising qualifying into a points finish.
Mekies calls Lawson result fantastic
Laurent Mekies praised Lawson’s qualifying effort and the circumstances around it. The Red Bull team principal called the result “fantastic” given the difficult conditions and said the team looked more competitive in race trim. That view fits a weekend in which Lawson recovered quickly from the challenge of stepping back into the senior car and delivered one of his best Red Bull sessions so far. The work was not only about raw pace. Lawson had to re-acclimate to a car that asked for different inputs than the Racing Bulls machine, then build a setup that matched his own preferences instead of Verstappen’s. He said the steering feel and seating position were different, and he responded by changing the pedals, steering and other details rather than forcing himself into a package that did not suit him. The result was a cleaner, more confident lap in qualifying and a place in Q3 for the first time with Red Bull. It also gave the team a useful sign after a weekend shaped by change. Lawson came back in after Hadjar’s injury, settled into the role and produced a strong starting position. Mekies’ reaction pointed to the bigger team picture. Red Bull wants progress in race trim, and Lawson’s performance suggested that the package may be more competitive over a long run than the Sprint form first showed.
