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Ousted F1 star poised for immediate comeback in Red Bull injury scare Yuki Tsunoda is poised to make a shock Formula 1 comeback at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix in a Red Bull driver shuffle prompted by Isack Hadjar injuring his wrist in a training accident in the build-up to the race. Fox Sports understands Tsunoda has been primed to return, with reports in Dutch papers De Limburger and De Telegraaf reporting he will substitute for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, with Lawson then moving up to Red Bull Racing to replace Hadjar, though both suggest a final decision has yet to be made. Hadjar reportedly injured his wrist during a gym session leading up to this weekend’s race in Zandvoort but is expected to recover in time for the following Italian Grand Prix next month, with a week’s break between rounds. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The incident is unfortunately timed for the Frenchman, who this weekend was poised to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his first and so far only podium at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix, having unveiled a new helmet design to commemorate the occasion. Lawson’s stand-in appearance would also coincidentally mark three years since his Formula 1 debut, also in the Netherlands, where he replaced Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian broke his hand during Friday practice during the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. The New Zealander substituted for the Australian for five grands prix before replacing him at the end of the following season. Lawson last raced for Red Bull Racing at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, the second of a disastrous two-race stint with the senior team, before he was shuffled down to Racing Bulls. He was replaced by Tsunoda, but the Japanese driver also struggled in the seat and was dumped at the end of the year, with Hadjar taking his place. Hadjar, in just his second season in the sport, has performed much closer to expectations for the title-winning team, albeit still significantly adrift of Max Verstappen. CRITICAL TIMING The move is significant for both drivers, who will have much to prove in their likely one-off team swaps. For Tsunoda the chance is critical. The Japanese driver is on the shortlist to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas should the Frenchman fail to find form in the second half of the season, but reports suggest he has been surpassed by Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara in the queue. Motorsport has recently reported Tsunoda is now contending for a seat in America’s IndyCar series, where he would replace McLaren-bound Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing. A last-minute chance to replenish his Formula 1 stocks could be influential in his attempt to convince Haas to bring him back into the sport full-time. It might also keep his name in the mix in the event of any unexpected shifts in the driver market, with Fernando Alonso yet to decide whether he will retire or continue in his Honda-powered Aston Martin seat. PIT TALK PODCAST: Formula 1 returns from its mid-season break this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix, but there’s more to be decided than just the championship. | Listen to Pit Talk here > Lawson, meanwhile, felt set up to fail in his two-race stint with Red Bull Racing at a time the team was struggling for form, having previously declared that he wasn’t given enough time acclimatise to the team. “Two races at two tracks I’ve never been to in a season like that — I won’t accept that you can judge me off that,” he told the High Performance podcast earlier this year. “It’s such a team game. You have to have everybody working together, and that was obviously not what I felt when that happened.” He also denied claims by then team boss Christian Horner that he was mentally struggling in a top car. But Lawson has also deemed himself a “far better” and “far more resilient driver” for having been through the experience. His form at Racing Bulls this season has been reflective of the potential he demonstrated on his way to Formula 1 and in his two stints replacing Ricciardo in 2023 and 2024. A shock temporary return to Red Bull Racing would give him the chance to repair some of the reputational damage taken during that dire two-race stint. It could also prove to Red Bull Racing that he deserves another shot at the top team should Verstappen walk away from Milton Keynes this or next year — no driver has previously returned to the senior Red Bull squad after being dropped.