Liam Lawson has already set himself a ruthless benchmark at Red Bull. Two races into his stint, he wanted to be within three-tenths of Max Verstappen. In Zandvoort, in a car he had never driven before, he sliced that target in half.
His best lap in the RB22 finished just 0.115s shy of the world champion. For a stand-in, in unfamiliar machinery, that gap is the kind of detail that makes people inside the paddock sit up and take notice. For Lawson, it might be the most telling number of his weekend.
Now, as Formula One heads from the dunes of Zandvoort to the cathedral of speed at Monza, the Kiwi’s short-term future hangs on someone else’s body holding together.
Hadjar racing the clock
Isack Hadjar’s fitness remains the hinge on which Red Bull’s Italian Grand Prix plans swing. There is no firm timeline, no confident assurances. Just a waiting game.
Multiple sources have told the Herald that nothing is guaranteed for Hadjar in Italy. The Frenchman will be given as long as possible to prove he is fit to race at Monza, and the team will delay a final call for as long as they dare.
Behind that careful language sits a more complicated scenario. One source has even floated a contingency plan that underlines how tight the margins are: in the worst case, Hadjar could take part in the opening practice session, then step aside for Lawson if he is later ruled out. That kind of mid-weekend switch would need sign-off from the FIA, and would be far from routine, but it shows how determined the team is to keep every option alive.
Mugello miles, Monza questions
While Hadjar recovers, Lawson has not been left idle. Red Bull handed him more precious mileage in the RB22 at Mugello, a circuit that punishes hesitation and rewards commitment.
On the opening day of a Pirelli tyre test in Italy, Lawson shared duties with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, running what was essentially a rolling laboratory for Formula One’s future. The focus was not on lap times or set-up tricks, but on learning as much as possible about tyre compounds earmarked for the 2027 season.
Lawson still made it count. He logged 116 laps around the high-speed, flowing Mugello layout – roughly two full race distances – before passing the car over to Racing Bulls reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa overnight. For a young driver trying to embed himself inside Red Bull’s system, that kind of workload is gold: long runs, changing conditions, relentless feedback loops with engineers.
Every lap deepens his understanding of the RB22. Every debrief sharpens his case.
All eyes on September
The Italian Grand Prix weekend opens on September 4 (NZT), with the race set for September 7. Between now and then, Red Bull and Hadjar will push the medical clock to its limit.
Lawson waits, armed with a standout 0.115s statement against Verstappen and fresh Mugello mileage in his pocket. If Monza calls, he will be ready.
The only question now is whether circumstance gives him the chance to prove it at the fastest track of them all.
