Juan Pablo Montoya Urges Red Bull to Trust Liam Lawson for Spanish Grand Prix
Juan Pablo Montoya has urged Red Bull to resist the temptation of a quick fix and keep faith with Liam Lawson for next week’s inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, arguing the team would be “smart” not to rush Isack Hadjar back from injury.
The Colombian, never one to tiptoe around an opinion, believes Red Bull have stumbled into a solution they should now lean into.
Lawson seizes his chance
Lawson was thrown into the deep end at Zandvoort. A late call-up for the Dutch Grand Prix, he stepped in for Hadjar, who injured his wrist during the summer break. Preparation was minimal. One practice session. A car he hadn’t raced all season. A benchmark in the other garage called Max Verstappen.
He didn’t blink.
The New Zealander ran Verstappen close in qualifying, then turned that promise into points, finishing seventh and banking six valuable championship points. It was the kind of calm, clinical cameo that tends to linger in the minds of team bosses.
Lawson has kept the seat for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and Montoya believes that continuity should extend to Madrid.
“With Liam, if I were Red Bull, especially going into Madrid next week, I would go, ‘Hey, let’s be smart. We’re going to get a couple more weeks of recovery, and we’ll prepare Liam properly for Madrid because it’s a new track for everybody,’” Montoya said on F1 TV’s Weekend Warm-Up.
A new circuit, the Madring, levels the field. No historic data. No bank of experience. In that kind of environment, Montoya argues, stability and preparation trump sentiment or haste over bringing Hadjar back the moment he’s cleared.
Tsunoda reminds the paddock of his value
Lawson’s call-up triggered a reshuffle. Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda stepped into Lawson’s Racing Bulls seat alongside Arvid Lindblad, and Montoya was just as impressed with the Japanese driver’s response.
“Yuki showed the pace he had in the race, passing people, the aggression. I think everything that you wanted to see out of a driver,” Montoya said. “If you’re looking for drivers in F1, he delivered. He did the job. He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t put a wheel wrong, and it was really good to see.”
It was a pointed reminder that Red Bull’s wider driver pool is humming with options. Tsunoda’s aggression, Lawson’s composure, Hadjar’s raw speed: three very different profiles, one very crowded pipeline.
A tight internal battle beneath a dominant leader
The numbers tell their own story. Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ standings on 49 points, despite his limited running. Hadjar, despite the injury setback, holds eighth with 68 points. Verstappen, the reference point inside the main Red Bull team, is sixth on 112.
All of them, though, are staring up at a runaway leader. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli has turned the title race into a procession so far, leading the championship with 242 points and setting a brutal standard for the rest of the grid.
For Red Bull, the intrigue lies a little further back. How do they manage a trio of talents jostling for track time, results, and long-term trust?
Montoya’s view is clear: don’t complicate it. Lawson is fit, fast, and in rhythm. Hadjar needs time to heal properly. Madrid, with its fresh asphalt and unknowns, offers a rare opportunity to give Lawson a full build-up rather than a last-minute scramble.
The Madring will host its first Spanish Grand Prix from 11–13 September. A new circuit, a new chapter, and for Red Bull, a decision that could shape not just one weekend, but the pecking order inside their own stable for the rest of the season.
