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Liam Lawson has been handed additional track time by Red Bull Racing, completing a day of Pirelli tyre testing at Mugello following his stand-in drive at Zandvoort last weekend. The New Zealander ran 116 laps on Tuesday as Red Bull continues to manage Isack Hadjar's wrist injury, though reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa will take over testing duties on Wednesday. Lawson's extended involvement underscores Red Bull's cautious approach to Hadjar's recovery and highlights his status as the team's go-to replacement driver amid an uncertain driver market for 2026.
Hadjar sustained the wrist injury in the lead-up to Zandvoort, forcing Red Bull to call up Lawson at short notice. Yuki Tsunoda filled Lawson's seat at Racing Bulls for the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Rather than rush Hadjar back for the Mugello test, Red Bull opted to give Lawson a full day running next year's prototype Pirelli compounds at the Tuscan circuit. He focused primarily on C3-specification tyres and completed extended race-simulation stints during the afternoon session.
Extended audition or operational necessity
Lawson's consecutive outings raise questions about Red Bull's longer-term plans. While the official line centres on Hadjar's fitness, handing Lawson both a race weekend and a development test suggests the team values his feedback and consistency. Oscar Piastri ran for McLaren on the same day at Mugello, underlining the importance teams place on gathering data with drivers who understand their current design philosophy. Lawson's 116 laps provided Red Bull with a substantial data set ahead of next season's tyre allocation decisions.
Red Bull will rotate its personnel for Wednesday's running, with Iwasa stepping into the RB20 while Lando Norris takes over McLaren's programme. Audi, preparing for its 2026 entry, will field Nico Hülkenberg as part of its own tyre evaluation work. The schedule reflects the compressed nature of modern F1 testing, where teams must balance driver development, data collection, and commercial obligations within tightly regulated track time.
Racing Bulls evaluates future options at Imola
While Lawson logged miles at Mugello, his nominal employer Racing Bulls convened at Imola for a filming day and TPC test. Nikola Tsolov, the Bulgarian Formula 2 driver widely linked to a 2026 Racing Bulls seat, will complete his first TPC running on Wednesday. Tsolov's presence at Imola signals Racing Bulls' intent to evaluate its junior pipeline as the team finalises its driver lineup for next season. Whether Lawson participates in the filming day remains unclear, though his absence from Imola on Tuesday suggests Red Bull views his tyre-testing role as the priority.
Hadjar's injury timeline has not been disclosed, leaving open the possibility that Lawson could be required again if the Frenchman is not cleared for the next race weekend. Red Bull's willingness to deploy Lawson across both its senior team and development programmes positions him as a critical asset during a period when driver contracts and team structures remain fluid ahead of the 2026 regulation reset.
Dutch Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
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