Liam Lawson's Rollercoaster at Monza: Damage Ends Charge

Liam Lawson’s stand‑in stint has been anything but quiet.

The New Zealander first stepped into Isack Hadjar’s seat at the Dutch Grand Prix, thrown into the deep end after the Frenchman injured his wrist during the summer break. With little time to adjust, Lawson still dragged the car into seventh in the main race, a composed drive that made his sprint‑race struggles – and a point-less Saturday – feel like a rough warm‑up rather than a warning sign.

Monza Challenge

Monza told a harsher story.

Starting from the pit lane, Lawson’s afternoon at the Italian Grand Prix looked doomed before it began. Instead, he turned it into a rescue mission. He sliced through the field, picking off cars one by one, hauling himself from last up to 11th and edging into striking distance of the points.

Then came the blow.

A clash with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg damaged his front wing and wrecked the recovery. Any hope of a top‑10 finish evaporated with that contact, leaving Lawson to limp away from a race that had briefly promised a statement result.

Drivers' Standings

The numbers paint a mixed picture. Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ standings on 51 points, 20 behind Hadjar, whose injury opened the door in the first place. He does, though, hold a 10‑point cushion over Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, the Italian Grand Prix pole sitter who had to settle for seventh at Monza.

Looking Ahead

Now the calendar eases off. After Monday morning’s Spanish Grand Prix, the paddock gets a two‑week pause before Azerbaijan. For Lawson, that gap is more than just a breather. It’s a rare chance to reset, sharpen up, and decide whether this stint becomes a footnote in someone else’s season – or the launchpad for his own.