The Temple of Speed

There are easier places to rebuild a Formula 1 reputation than Zandvoort. Tight, exposed, wind-blown and with very little room for error, the Dutch Grand Prix venue has a habit of finding people out. For Liam Lawson, it did something else. It reminded a few people what many in New Zealand already knew.

Thrown back into the senior Red Bull seat at short notice, replacing the injured Isack Hadjar, Lawson walked into a weekend loaded with history, pressure and a fair bit of noise. His first shot with Red Bull at the start of 2025 lasted just two grands prix. Since then, plenty have been happy to file their verdict and move on.

Lawson, to his credit, has done the opposite. He has put his head down, rebuilt at Racing Bulls, banked points, sharpened his craft and waited for another door to open. At Zandvoort, it did. Not with a gentle invitation, either. This was a proper super-sub job. Different team, different car, different expectations, and not much time to get comfortable.

He responded with exactly the sort of weekend he needed. Eighth in qualifying, just over a tenth away from Max Verstappen, then seventh in the Grand Prix, scoring his first points as a Red Bull Racing driver. It was not a headline-grabbing charge through the field. It was arguably better than that. It was calm, measured and mature. No drama. No overreach. No attempt to turn one weekend into a Hollywood script.

That might sound less spectacular, but in Formula 1 terms, especially inside the Red Bull universe, it mattered. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said Lawson had done a good job stepping into another team and another car for a race like that, noting how close he was to Verstappen in qualifying and how he took the points available to him in the race. Former Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas was even warmer, calling Lawson’s adaptation absolutely brilliant.

For a driver who has worn more scrutiny than most at this stage of his F1 career, those words carry weight. Lawson has already silenced many of his critics, not with a pointed comment or a social media post, but with lap time. There is something very Kiwi about that. Do the job. Let everyone else talk afterwards.

Now comes Monza, the Temple of Speed, and another chance to show Zandvoort was not just a neat comeback chapter. Red Bull has confirmed Lawson will again partner Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix while Hadjar continues to recover from his wrist injury. Lawson said Zandvoort had given him “a really useful first reference in the car” and that he would arrive at Monza with “a much better understanding of the car and what I need from it.” That turns this weekend into something much more interesting than a one-off cameo.

Monza asks different questions. It is low downforce, high commitment and brutally public. The slipstream matters. Bravery under brakes matters. So does keeping the car clean when everyone arrives at the first chicane with the same idea and not quite enough road. For Lawson, it is also a rare chance to build momentum in the same seat across consecutive race weekends.

That may be the most important part. In Formula 1, context is everything. Lawson’s first Red Bull spell was judged almost before it had begun. This time, he is arriving at Monza with a result behind him, praise around him and a little more evidence that the first verdict may have been too quick.

None of this means the job is done. Lawson knows that better than anyone. The Red Bull seat is one of the toughest in world sport, made harder by the man in the other garage. But Zandvoort changed the tone of the conversation. It gave his supporters something concrete, gave his critics less room to move, and gave Lawson the best thing any racing driver can ask for.

Another start.