Former Red Bull mechanic and current team ambassador Calum Nicholas has praised Liam Lawson’s “absolutely brilliant” adaptation after the New Zealander stepped into Red Bull’s Formula 1 seat at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lawson was unexpectedly called up to replace Isack Hadjar, who withdrew from the final F1 event at Zandvoort because of a wrist injury. Despite the short notice, the Racing Bulls driver delivered a strong performance alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Nicholas praises Lawson’s Red Bull return
“He seems to have just taken everything really calmly under his wing, and he’s had a solid weekend,” Nicholas explained during the Talking Bull podcast.
“For the car that we’ve had underneath us this weekend, he maximised the results that were available with the car he had, and that would be great for him.”
Lawson’s appearance marked his first return to the Red Bull seat since his demotion from the Milton Keynes team in 2025. The 24-year-old replaced Sergio Perez for the 2025 season but was moved back to Racing Bulls after just two races.
“It was really important for him to just have a quiet weekend, but do a really, really good job. And that’s exactly what he did,” Nicholas continued.
“With all the noise about it and obviously what he’d been through before in the car. So to be able to make that hop really quickly at the last minute and do a solid job. Absolutely brilliant for him. I’m really happy for his weekend and for him.”
Laurent Mekies backs Lawson’s performance
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies also acknowledged the difficulty of the task handed to Lawson.
“It’s never easy to step into a different team, a different car for a race like that, and he’s done a good job,” Mekies said. “He was only one tenth away from Max yesterday in qualifying, and today took the points that were available to him pace-wise with seventh place.”
Source: www.motorsport.com
