Liam Lawson to Continue with Red Bull at Italian Grand Prix

Liam Lawson will stay in the Red Bull hot seat for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with Isack Hadjar ruled out for a second consecutive race as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury.

The decision, confirmed by the team ahead of F1’s visit to the Temple of Speed, keeps the in-form New Zealander alongside Max Verstappen after an impressive stand‑in performance at Zandvoort.

Lawson rewarded after sharp Zandvoort cameo

Lawson’s latest chance came late at the Dutch Grand Prix, when Hadjar was forced to step aside. Dropped into the RB22 at short notice, Lawson qualified eighth and brought the car home seventh, banking his first points for the Milton Keynes outfit after last year’s brief run of substitute outings.

That result, under pressure and in front of Verstappen’s home crowd, clearly carried weight. Red Bull kept him in the cockpit for tyre testing with Pirelli at Mugello in the days that followed, as the supplier trialled prototype compounds for its 2027 rubber. The extra mileage only strengthened his case for another race weekend.

Now he gets it, on one of the most unforgiving circuits on the calendar.

Hadjar’s recovery takes priority

Hadjar’s situation has hovered over Red Bull’s plans since the summer break. The Frenchman injured his wrist during that period and watched Zandvoort from the garage, his arm in a brace, as Lawson seized the opportunity on track.

He has been edging back into the paddock spotlight, even appearing at the FFSA French Junior Karting Championship late last week, still wearing protection on the injured wrist. Red Bull waited as long as it reasonably could before making the Monza call, hoping for a late green light.

It never came.

The team confirmed that Hadjar is “making encouraging progress” but stressed it will “take no unnecessary risks” with his return, underlining that his long‑term fitness outweighs any short‑term selection dilemma. The message is clear: he will only be back when he is fully ready to handle the demands of a Grand Prix weekend.

Tsunoda stays put at sister team

The reshuffle triggered by Hadjar’s injury has also kept Red Bull’s wider driver pool busy. Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda stepped in at Racing Bulls at Zandvoort, partnering Arvid Lindblad at the Faenza-based sister team.

That arrangement will continue at Monza, giving Tsunoda another race weekend to lead the line there while Lawson shoulders the substitute role at the senior squad.

So Red Bull arrives in Italy with continuity in both garages: Verstappen chasing another Monza win, Lawson trying to turn a one-off audition into something more substantial, and Hadjar watching on again, waiting for the moment when the wrist brace finally comes off and the door opens back onto the grid.