Removed from Red Bull after only two races in 2025, Liam Lawson never really had his chance. Laurent Mekies now acknowledges that the New Zealander deserved better.
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One and a half years later, Red Bull seems to have a different view on the treatment given to Liam Lawson. Promoted alongside Max Verstappen at the start of the 2025 season, the New Zealander was demoted to Racing Bulls after only two Grands Prix.
Lawson had scored no points in Melbourne then Shanghai and seemed to have significant difficulties adapting to an RB21 known to be particularly tricky to drive. Red Bull then decided to swap him with Yuki Tsunoda from the third round of the season.
An extremely harsh decision, especially since some information that has since emerged has allowed a more nuanced view of the young driver’s performances. In Shanghai in particular, Red Bull reportedly gave him a particularly experimental setup before using his lack of competitiveness as one of the arguments justifying his demotion.
Mekies acknowledges that Lawson deserved better
Laurent Mekies, who was not yet in charge of Red Bull when this decision was made under Christian Horner’s leadership, now admits that Lawson probably did not have the necessary conditions to truly demonstrate his potential.
Before the Dutch Grand Prix, the Frenchman reflected on this particularly difficult episode in the New Zealander’s career.
“His first two races with the team last year were very difficult,” Mekies admits.
The Red Bull boss goes even further regarding how abruptly this first experience ended.
“I am sure it was not the end he deserved.”
Since then, Lawson has managed to rebuild his career at Racing Bulls and establish himself as one of the most solid midfield drivers.
Lawson has managed to rebuild at Racing Bulls
For Mekies, it is precisely this ability to bounce back after such a setback that justified giving him another opportunity behind the wheel of a Red Bull.
“When you look at how he managed to rebuild after that and the level of performance he has shown consistently since, with both the previous generation of cars and this one, I think he fully deserved this chance.”
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This chance finally came unexpectedly at Zandvoort. Injured wrist during the summer break, Isack Hadjar had to withdraw from the Dutch Grand Prix, allowing Lawson to temporarily regain the seat he had lost in 2025.
And this time, the New Zealander did not miss the opportunity.
An impressive return at Red Bull
Lawson had a particularly convincing weekend behind the wheel of the RB22. In qualifying, he finished just a tenth of a second behind Verstappen, a remarkable performance given the little time he had to regain his bearings with the team.
The race confirmed this impression. Lawson crossed the finish line in seventh position and scored six points, probably the best result Red Bull could reasonably expect after Verstappen’s retirement.
His performance takes on an additional dimension when you remember that his first stint with the team ended after only two weekends without a single point.
For Lawson, Zandvoort was therefore a real comeback. Where he had not had enough time to convince in 2025, he this time immediately showed that he could exploit a Red Bull in difficult conditions.
Tsunoda also rewarded
Hadjar’s withdrawal also allowed Yuki Tsunoda to return to competition. The Japanese driver, who had replaced Lawson at Red Bull in 2025 before losing his seat at the end of the season, was recalled to Racing Bulls for Zandvoort.
He also delivered a solid performance, finishing eleventh and ahead of Arvid Lindblad in the other VCARB 03.
“Yuki also had the chance to get back behind the wheel and he deserved it too, after patiently working in the simulator all year,” Mekies emphasizes. “It was another great story of the weekend.”
But it is Lawson who made the biggest impression. Eighteen months after being removed without really being able to defend his place, the New Zealander seized his second chance at Red Bull with a seventh place and six points. A performance that adds even more weight to the regrets expressed today by Mekies.
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