Gary Anderson tells Red Bull to give Liam Lawson a ‘second chance’ due to Isack Hadjar concern

Follow us on Google Discover

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar is the favourite to replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull in the 2026 F1 season, yet Gary Anderson thinks Liam Lawson deserves another chance.

Lawson started the 2025 F1 season with Red Bull, as the 23-year-old moved up from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez. But the New Zealander struggled to adapt to the RB21 through pre-season testing in Bahrain and the opening two rounds of the year in Australia and China.

So, Red Bull demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls in a straight seat swap with Tsunoda, who has since struggled in the RB21. The 25-year-old has registered 25 points since he replaced Lawson, who has offered the junior Red Bull team 30 points during the same 18-round spell.

Hadjar has also scored 39 points so far this year, of which he bagged 15 at Zandvoort during round 15 of the 20 out of 24 held so far. Paris native Hadjar took his first F1 podium with P3 in the Dutch Grand Prix, but he has only scored two points over the five subsequent rounds.

Gary Anderson tells Red Bull to replace Yuki Tsunoda with Liam Lawson as Isack Hadjar is not ready

Now, Hadjar’s rookie form is widely expected to see him replace Tsunoda at Red Bull for the 2026 F1 season. It is even said that motorsport adviser Helmut Marko is pushing Red Bull to replace Tsunoda with Hadjar. But Anderson thinks Lawson is the driver Red Bull should pick.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Anderson feels Lawson getting another chance at Red Bull after his difficult two-round spell would give the Kiwi a “fair shot”. Lawson returning to Red Bull would also let Hadjar further develop at Racing Bulls without the pressure of him being teammates with Max Verstappen.

“Hadjar has shown his pure speed on many occasions,” he told The Race. “But the step up required to compete at the level Red Bull expects from its drivers is not easy. Weekend after weekend, you will be measured against Verstappen, who never seems to have a bad day.

“If the car is capable, then Max will be in there fighting for pole positions and wins. So, you need to be very, very thick-skinned to be Max’s teammate. Is Hadjar ready for that?

“I don’t think he’s at that stage in his career yet, and a second season driving for Racing Bulls wouldn’t hurt him. It would allow him to reduce his mistakes without the pressure of being compared to Verstappen. Because of that, I would be offering Lawson a second chance.

“He went through a confidence-sapping experience at the beginning of 2025 when Red Bull were in turmoil for various reasons and knows the pressure that comes from driving for a big team with winning expectations.”

Liam Lawson is fighting for his Racing Bulls F1 future more than a return to Red Bull

While Anderson feels Lawson ought to be the driver whom Red Bull replace Tsunoda with in 2026 instead of promoting Hadjar, the Kiwi is fighting the Japanese pilot for a seat at Racing Bulls. Red Bull are weighing up Lawson against Tsunoda, with the loser likely left off the grid.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

It is said that Lawson is fighting Tsunoda over the second Racing Bulls seat in 2026, as Red Bull intend to promote F2 prospect Arvid Lindblad into the seat that Hadjar will vacate when he joins their senior team. But Anderson is not the only pundit to question if Hadjar is ready.

Martin Brundle doubts Hadjar is ready for Red Bull and, like Anderson, feels the 21-year-old French-Algerian talent would benefit from a second season with Racing Bulls. But Red Bull’s plan to promote Hadjar is unlikely to stop, despite them delaying a decision on their line-up.

Marko previously stated that Red Bull would announce their 2026 F1 driver line-up after the 2025 Mexico City GP, which fell last weekend. But Marko and team principal Laurent Mekies revealed in Mexico that Red Bull have delayed their decision until the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.