Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane explains why Red Bull chose Liam Lawson as a replacement for Isack Hadjar instead of Arvid Lindblad. According to the Brit, the young Lindblad was certainly an option to replace the injured Hadjar at Zandvoort, but the Austrian team ultimately chose their own driver: “Choosing the more experienced driver was the right choice for them.”
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Just before the last Dutch GP at Zandvoort, it became known that Isack Hadjar would not be participating. The French-Algerian driver had secured his first podium a year ago on the circuit in the dunes, but has to miss the latest edition due to a wrist injury. Liam Lawson was then allowed to take a seat in the RB22 for the Dutch Grand Prix weekend as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
However, Lawson was not the only option, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane reveals. “I think so,” he honestly tells Sky F1 when asked if Arvid Lindblad could also have been promoted. “But the most pragmatic thing is to choose Liam. Liam is a Red Bull driver. He is also just a bit ahead of Arvid this year. Choosing the more experienced driver was the right choice for them. It is quite normal for a team to choose one of their own drivers, even if that driver happens to race for another team.”
Permane also immediately gives an example. “The last time we saw this was with Lewis when he had COVID in Bahrain,” he refers to the GP Sakhir in 2020. “Then they took George out of the Williams and put him in.”
‘Even Liam had no influence on the decision’
The Racing Bulls team principal explains how he did not have much influence on Red Bull’s decision to promote Lawson for a weekend. “What Red Bull ultimately decided, we talked about it – I wouldn’t say I had much influence on it, and I’m not sure Liam had much influence either. Honestly, it’s absolutely the right decision, and Arvid is fine with it. He completely understands, and I think he is happy with where he is now.”
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