Laurent Mekies hails Liam Lawson’s ‘very, very strong’ Red Bull cameo

Lawson makes immediate impression at Red Bull

Laurent Mekies has praised Liam Lawson’s “very, very strong” performance after the New Zealander delivered a composed stand-in appearance for Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Lawson only learned earlier in the week that he would replace Isack Hadjar, who suffered a broken wrist while training during the summer break. Red Bull’s decision to recall Lawson rather than promote Arvid Lindblad was examined in this earlier report.

“It’s a very, very strong demonstration that Liam has been doing this weekend,” Mekies said. “One tenth from Max, jumping from one team to another.”

A sharp contrast with Lawson’s first Red Bull stint

The result was particularly notable because Lawson’s first stint with Red Bull, which lasted two races, had been difficult. He failed to escape Q1 in either event and did not challenge for points.

His Dutch Grand Prix showing instead reinforced the form he had displayed during his first full season with Racing Bulls. Before the summer break, Lawson had scored 43 points across 11 weekends, leading the midfield drivers in the championship.

“It’s easy to forget that, one year ago, he had a pretty nightmare experience in the first two races,” Mekies added. “Today, he has proven that he can still do it. He has had a very strong start to the season.”

Red Bull sees progress in its second car

Mekies also framed Lawson’s performance as evidence of progress within Red Bull’s wider effort to improve the team’s second car. After replacing Christian Horner in July last year, he said Red Bull had begun a “360-degree” review into the persistent struggles of Verstappen’s teammates.

Hadjar’s strong form had already suggested the situation was improving: he recorded a 100% Q3 record and had put together seven consecutive top-six finishes before his injury. Lawson’s display at Zandvoort, Mekies believes, confirmed that trend.

“I’m also very happy for the team because we have never hidden behind the fact that, perhaps, we are not doing everything perfectly for our second car,” he said.

Red Bull hopes Hadjar will return for the next race at Monza in a fortnight. If that happens, Lawson will return to Racing Bulls, where Yuki Tsunoda had been deputising.