Lawson reveals 'biggest challenge' of Red Bull switch: The car is 'different everywhere'

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – When Liam Lawson received the call from Red Bull on Wednesday morning, he knew he would no longer be driving the familiar Racing Bulls car. Isack Hadjar's wrist injury triggered a chain reaction: Lawson was promoted to the main team, and Yuki Tsunoda was pushed down to Racing Bulls. But what the 24-year-old New Zealander didn't expect was the extent of the difference between the two cars – so much so that he called it the 'biggest challenge' of his brief Formula 1 career. Injury records don't lie — only those who read them know how to hide the truth. Hadjar suffered a wrist injury during a practice session at Zandvoort, and his medical report was so 'too clean' that Red Bull's engineering team needed two days to confirm the severity. When the locker room door closes, I understand that tactics aren't on the drawing board – they're in how a team copes with a depleted lineup. Lawson finished P7 at Zandvoort, scoring points in a stressful Sprint weekend. But what's more notable is what he said about the difference between the two cars. 'They're different everywhere, other than the power unit,' Lawson shared. 'Red Bull's high-speed grip is the most impressive, but the balance of the car is very different. Even the feedback through the steering and the way it moves around is completely different.' This is a rare natural experiment in F1: the same driver, same tires, same circuit, but two completely different cars. Lawson is one of the few drivers in the pit lane who has driven both cars in the same season. His feedback forms a valuable dataset on chassis design differences – which is becoming the primary differentiator in the ground-effect era. The difference isn't just in driving feel. Lawson revealed that he had to 'talk to both teams' engineers to stay ready for both possibilities.' This dual-preparation strategy costs significant time and mental energy. 'That's the biggest challenge,' he admitted. 'You have to keep your mind open to both cars, and that's really tiring.' But there's a counter-intuitive angle that few have noticed: P7 at Zandvoort might be understating the true potential of the RB21. Lawson only had one simulator session and one practice session before entering the Sprint race. With such limited preparation, finishing in the points suggests Red Bull's performance floor is high – even when the driver is still learning how to extract it. At Monza, things will be different. It's a normal race weekend with three practice sessions, instead of just one at Zandvoort. Lawson admitted this 'should be easier to adjust.' But Monza is also a different challenge: it's the lowest-downforce circuit on the calendar, testing straight-line speed and braking stability – not the high-speed grip that Lawson praised in the Red Bull. This lineup shuffle isn't just an injury story. It exposes organizational instability at Red Bull – the second time in the 2026 season they've had to reshuffle their driver lineup. Tsunoda, who was promoted to Red Bull after the Japanese Grand Prix, is now pushed back to Racing Bulls. This is a public signal of distrust, and could push the Japanese driver out of the Red Bull program. Data has no gender. Only those who read data carry bias. But in this case, the data is speaking clearly: Red Bull is using Hadjar's injury as an extended evaluation opportunity for the 2026 seat. Lawson and Tsunoda are being rotated between the two teams, and the Racing Bulls car is becoming a de facto evaluation platform for future personnel decisions. A wrist injury can tell the story of locker room politics, if you're willing to listen. Hadjar lost his seat, Lawson got a second chance, Tsunoda was pushed back – all from what seemed like a minor injury. When the dust settles at Monza, we may see a clearer picture of Red Bull's future. Can Lawson turn this opportunity into a long-term seat? Or will Tsunoda find a way out of the program? The answer may lie in how they handle the difference between the two cars – and how they face their biggest challenge.