Liam Lawson Returns to Racing Bulls After Red Bull Stint

Liam Lawson’s brief, sharp burst in Red Bull colours is over. The New Zealander is heading back to familiar territory at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his super-sub assignment complete and his stock noticeably higher.

The 24-year-old was drafted into the senior team in August, thrown into the deep end as cover for Isack Hadjar after the French-Algerian suffered a wrist injury over the summer break. It was a high-pressure call-up, the kind that can expose a driver or elevate him.

Lawson chose elevation.

Across three races he banked 14 points for Red Bull, a tidy haul that underlined both his composure and his growth. It was a stark contrast to his previous stint with the team last season, when he was shuffled out after just two races in a messy, confidence-sapping spell. This time, he left with numbers, credibility, and the respect of the garage.

“The team would like to sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication and hard work over the past three races,” the statement read. “Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team. We wish him all the best as he returns to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.”

The message was clear: job done, and done well.

Back at Racing Bulls, Lawson steps into a car and an environment that had already begun to feel like home before Red Bull came calling. His form earlier in the season had been one of the quiet success stories of the midfield, a steady rebuild after a chaotic 2025 campaign that had left plenty of questions hanging over his future.

Now, he returns not as a demoted driver, but as one who has just passed a brutal examination at the very top.

“It feels great to be back in my car alongside the team as we head to Baku,” Lawson said. “It has been a busy few weeks with the switch to Red Bull Racing, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the rhythm with the team and focusing on the weekend ahead.”

There’s rhythm to rediscover, but there’s also momentum to protect. Lawson currently sits ninth in the drivers’ championship, a position built on consistent points and regular leadership of the midfield pack. He hasn’t just been making up the numbers; he’s been shaping the battles behind the frontrunners.

His sixth-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix was the standout result of his Red Bull stint, a drive that drew open praise from team principal Laurent Mekies.

“I think he's done a very good job,” Mekies said. “I think we all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think that he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.

“He has taken some very important points today with the P6. He did the same in Zandvoort and in Monza he would have done something similar without the contact with Nico [Hulkenberg] and the front wing damage.

“So, I think he did a very good job, again very different pictures compared to the first two races of 2025 when he was in the team so we are thankful and happy with that.”

Those words matter. In a paddock where opportunities can vanish overnight, public endorsement from a team boss is currency.

Now the backdrop changes again: from the intensity of a title-chasing outfit to the grind and graft of the midfield. The stakes, though, remain high. Lawson has shown he can survive in Red Bull red; now he has to prove he can thrive in Racing Bulls blue.

Baku offers exactly the kind of stage where reputations can spike. A long, punishing straight, tight castle section, and walls that punish even minor lapses. It’s a circuit that rewards nerve and precision, traits Lawson has quietly been adding to his armoury.

On-track action for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix begins tomorrow, with first practice at 10.30pm (NZT) and lights out for the race at 11pm on Saturday.

Lawson has had his taste of the top. The real question now is whether this return to the junior garage is a pause in his ascent—or the launchpad for his next move.