ANALYSIS: Why Lawson’s Red Bull call-up is such a huge opportunity

Never in Red Bull's 22-year history in Formula 1 has the six-time World Championship-winning team recalled a driver they had previously parted ways with. Usually, once you get demoted or fired by Red Bull, that's the end of the line.

But at this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, Liam Lawson becomes the exception to the rule.

Admittedly, there's a slice of good fortune in this recall, with regular racer Isack Hadjar unable to take part after picking up an injury during the summer break and thus this will only be a short-term opportunity.

But it's nonetheless an impressive turnaround considering the events of 14 months ago when he was demoted from Red Bull after just two rounds – and shows how far Lawson has come that Red Bull have turned to him to fill in.

Heading into the 2025 campaign, Lawson was on the highest of highs. The New Zealander had fended off competition from Yuki Tsunoda to get the nod alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull after two impressive stints with the energy drinks sister team.

However, his time at Red Bull was short, with Tsunoda getting the nod for the remainder of the season.

It was a tough blow, but Lawson rebuilt his confidence and his consistency over the next few months to deliver a performance strong enough to keep his seat this season, this time alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad.

He kicked on this year, emerging as the leading driver outside the top-four teams and is currently on a run of six points finishes in the last seven events. It is that kind of form that put him in the box seat to get the shot at Red Bull when the factory team needed a back-up for Zandvoort.

This is a huge opportunity for Lawson – and one that comes with far less pressure than when he last took the wheel of a Red Bull car.

The New Zealander has never driven the 2026-spec Red Bull and will have had very little time to prepare for his debut this weekend so getting a result out of it will be very tough, even with his recent form.

The positive of that, though, is that the expectations will be much lower. That should suit Lawson nicely as it should allow him to drive freely, as he has all year with Racing Bulls, and make the most of this unlikely opportunity.

Red Bull is also a different team to the one that he left, with Laurent Mekies – whom he knows well – now at the helm. And while it hasn't been a race-winning machine this year, it is known to be more driveable than last year's car, with Hadjar doing a very strong job in his first season with the team.

That form Hadjar has shown means that is only a temporary opportunity for Lawson but it does present the chance for him to boost his standing within the wider Red Bull ecosystem.

If he impresses in Zandvoort and then continues that form at Racing Bulls, even if that doesn't translate into a full-time return to Red Bull – which at this stage remains unlikely – it will increase the chances of him staying with the Faenza-based team for 2027.

That spot is far from certain even with his prolific form this year given his rookie team mate Lindblad has impressed while Red Bull junior and F2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov is waiting in the wings.

A strong showing could also make others in the midfield take notice if he suddenly finds himself without an opportunity in the Red Bull family.

With Lawson stepping up to Red Bull, it provides a golden opportunity for Tsunoda to make a remarkable return to the grid.

The Japanese racer has been in a reserve role with Red Bull and Racing Bulls this year but has been itching to get back in the fight.

After initially getting linked with a seat at Haas for next year, his chances of a return looked to be diminishing, so this recall is perfectly timed.

Tsunoda's best results came when he raced for Racing Bulls. That experience will be critical in helping him quickly assimilate but he and the team will know he faces a mammoth task given he hasn't driven any 2026 machinery.

This year's cars, built to sweeping new chassis and power unit rules, need to be driven in a different way to previous generations of cars – so Tsunoda will have to learn very quickly. So compared to Lawson, expectations will be even lower given the scale of the challenge.

But such chances don't come around very often – so if Tsunoda wants to boost his chances of finding a seat on the grid next year, it won't be so much about the result but more about doing a solid job and impressing his team with the way he handles everything.