Liam Lawson Retains Red Bull Seat for Monza

Red Bull has settled its Italian Grand Prix line-up – and Liam Lawson’s audition goes on.

The New Zealander will stay alongside Max Verstappen at Monza, with Isack Hadjar ruled unfit to return after his wrist injury over the summer break. The decision came late, but not unexpectedly, after Hadjar was forced to sit out Zandvoort and Lawson seized his chance.

Lawson was drafted in at short notice for the Dutch Grand Prix and responded with the kind of weekend that keeps team bosses awake at night in the best way. He qualified eighth, then brought the car home seventh, banking his first points for the Milton Keynes outfit after last year’s brief run of substitute outings.

That performance, under pressure and in a car he’s still learning, has earned him another shot on one of Formula 1’s most unforgiving stages: Monza, the Temple of Speed.

Red Bull kept Hadjar’s situation under review, hoping the Frenchman might recover in time, but the signs remained clear. He was seen at the FFSA French Junior Karting Championship still wearing a wrist brace, a visible reminder that the injury has not yet fully healed. The team waited as long as it reasonably could before confirming its call for Italy.

“Liam will drive alongside Max at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Isack continues to make encouraging progress following the wrist injury sustained during the summer break. The Team is closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition and wishes him a speedy recovery.”

Lawson has not exactly been idle since Zandvoort. He stayed in the cockpit of the RB22 for Pirelli tyre testing at Mugello, logging valuable mileage as F1’s tyre supplier evaluates compounds for 2027. For a young driver trying to nail down a longer-term future on the grid, that kind of running is gold dust.

Hadjar, meanwhile, watches his opportunity from the sidelines for a second straight weekend, his momentum checked just as the season hits a crucial stretch. Red Bull’s stance is clear: no gamble, no rushed return, no compromise on fitness.

The ripple effect of the decision stretches down the Red Bull ladder. Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, who stepped in at Racing Bulls at Zandvoort alongside Arvid Lindblad, will continue in that role at Monza. The Japanese driver’s presence keeps the wider Red Bull system stable while the senior team manages its short-term reshuffle.

So Monza becomes more than just another race for Lawson. It is another high-speed examination of his composure, his race craft, and his ability to deliver when the door opens only a fraction. How many more chances like this will he get?