Liam Lawson’s Dutch interlude did not change Red Bull’s plans despite the absence of Isack Hadjar due to a wrist fracture and the good performances of his replacement.
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Hadjar had to give up his seat to Lawson in the Netherlands, while Yuki Tsunoda returned to Racing Bulls.
A situation likely to revive speculation around the second Red Bull seat, but Mekies quickly dismissed this hypothesis.
Hadjar, “a sponge” alongside Verstappen
Laurent Mekies assures that the Frenchman remains firmly in the team’s plans for 2027: “It is a minor incident that we will quickly forget,” he said regarding Hadjar’s injury. “Isack meets our expectations. His start to the season has been excellent.”
Mekies particularly appreciates the ability of his young driver to learn from Max Verstappen and the team: “He is like a sponge, he absorbs everything he can to improve. He looks for everything that can help him get better with the team, with Max.”
Beyond his pure speed, it is especially Hadjar’s consistency that seems to have convinced Red Bull: “Many drivers can pull off a flash in the pan in a race, be incredibly fast one day. But Isack manages to show his speed at every race.”
No reference to judge Lawson
Lawson nevertheless succeeded in his temporary return to Red Bull at Zandvoort, notably finishing seventh. Mekies, however, refuses to draw definitive conclusions from a single weekend: “Yes, Liam had an excellent weekend with us. But as we said after the race, we did not have Max in the race as a reference to know what he could have done.”
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The Frenchman also acknowledges that Red Bull has not always perfectly managed its second seat in the past: “We are also aware that we have not always done everything perfectly regarding this second seat.”
Hadjar seems, however, to approach the comparison with Verstappen differently from some of his predecessors. Rather than systematically trying to beat the Dutchman, he uses his performances as a reference to improve: “Isack does not see it as a competition. Whether Max is ahead or behind, he seeks to understand how to do better.”
Hadjar back as early as Monza?
An approach that clearly appeals to Mekies. Asked directly about the possibility that Red Bull might change drivers for 2027, the team principal says he sees no reason to end the collaboration with Hadjar.
The good performances of Lawson and Tsunoda at Zandvoort have therefore not changed the internal hierarchy. Barring a turnaround, Hadjar remains Red Bull’s preferred choice to partner Verstappen in 2027.
The Frenchman should now regain his seat at Monza, where he will have the opportunity to resume the thread of a first season that has so far convinced his team.
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