Liam Lawson delivered exactly what Red Bull needed at Zandvoort, banking seventh after being dropped into the RB22 with just a day in the simulator to prepare. The New Zealander qualified eighth — one-tenth off Verstappen in one session — and held position through a chaotic race start where Max spun on a rain-soaked final corner directly ahead. Lawson avoided contact, restarted seventh, and stayed there.
The challenge was real. Outside the power unit, everything differs between the RB22 and his Racing Bulls ride — steering, balance, high-speed grip. But unlike his aborted 2025 stint at unfamiliar tracks, this car wasn't "very tough to put on the limit." Team Principal Laurent Mekies praised the execution. A 10-second penalty for a yellow flag violation didn't matter — the gap to the midfield held. Lawson extracted maximum points from the pace Red Bull had, proving the super-sub strategy has legs heading into the season's final stretch.
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