Red Bull Confirms Lawson for Monza as Hadjar Recovers
Red Bull have handed Liam Lawson another shot on Formula 1’s biggest high‑speed stage, confirming the New Zealander will partner Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix while Isack Hadjar continues his recovery from a wrist injury.
Lawson impressed on his return in Zandvoort, hustling the RB22 to seventh place and banking valuable points for the Milton Keynes team despite having only limited time to adapt to the car. That performance has earned him a second consecutive weekend in the seat, this time at Monza, where the margins are brutal and the straights seem to run forever.
Red Bull set out the situation in a clear statement: Lawson will race alongside Verstappen at Monza, while Hadjar – injured over the summer break – remains sidelined as the team refuse to rush him back.
“Isack continues to make encouraging progress following the wrist injury sustained during the summer break,” the team said, stressing they will “take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition” and wishing him a speedy recovery.
Lawson, who described Zandvoort as “challenging” as he tried to get on top of the RB22 in record time, came away from the Dutch weekend encouraged.
“It's been a good weekend,” he said after his points finish. “It was good to extract everything out of Quali. It's been tough to try and get my head around this car in a short space of time, but I've enjoyed it.”
Now he faces Monza, a circuit that exposes any weakness in car or driver. Another strong showing, and the 22‑year‑old’s case for a longer‑term role inside the Red Bull stable only grows louder.
Tsunoda gets second Racing Bulls outing
The reshuffle doesn’t stop there. Over at Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda will also extend his own comeback, keeping the seat Lawson vacated to move up to Red Bull.
“Yuki will drive for the team at the Italian GP this weekend,” Racing Bulls confirmed on social media, locking in a second straight race for the Japanese driver after he returned to the grid at Zandvoort.
Tsunoda, who lost his full‑time race seat at the end of 2025, came back in the Netherlands with something to prove and very nearly capped it with a point, finishing 11th.
“I definitely enjoyed it overall, and yeah, I think I gave it 100%, as much as I can,” the 26‑year‑old said. “I think I did pretty okay.”
Monza now offers him another live audition. One more clean, combative drive, and the conversation around his future sharpens again.
Iwasa steps in for FP1
Red Bull will also rotate their young talent during practice at Monza. Ayumu Iwasa is set to take over Verstappen’s car in Free Practice 1 on Friday, giving the Japanese prospect another taste of frontline machinery on one of the calendar’s most demanding power tracks.
Between Lawson’s second chance, Tsunoda’s extended return and Iwasa’s FP1 run, Red Bull arrive in Italy not just as title favourites, but as a team visibly stress‑testing their next generation. Monza will not just be about lap times and top speeds; it will be a live examination of who can seize an opportunity when the door opens.
