Red Bull double down on Lawson as Hadjar’s recovery continues, Tsunoda and Iwasa handed Monza roles
Liam Lawson’s audition in Formula 1 is about to get louder.
Red Bull have confirmed the New Zealander will stay in the senior team seat for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, again standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar as the Frenchman continues his recovery from a wrist injury suffered over the summer break.
Lawson impressed on his return at Zandvoort, hustling the RB22 to seventh place and banking valuable points for the Milton Keynes squad. Thrown in with little preparation, he not only survived the Dutch weekend – he made a statement.
Now he gets to do it all over again at the Temple of Speed, alongside Max Verstappen.
Lawson’s second shot at the big time
Red Bull’s confirmation was clear and firm in tone.
“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 said, stressing they will “take no unnecessary risks” with Hadjar’s return and wishing him a speedy recovery.
That caution opens the door wider for Lawson.
He called Zandvoort “challenging” as he scrambled to understand the RB22 in a compressed timeframe, yet he left the Netherlands upbeat.
“It's been a good weekend,” Lawson said after his P7 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.”
Monza will test different skills: straight-line efficiency, late-braking nerve, race craft in the slipstream. What it offers Lawson is something even more valuable – consecutive weekends in a front-running car, with the spotlight fixed squarely on how he responds.
Tsunoda back in the shop window
The reshuffle doesn’t stop with the senior team.
Racing Bulls confirmed on social media that Yuki Tsunoda will again step into Lawson’s usual seat for the Italian GP, after returning to action at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver, who lost his full-time grid slot at the end of 2025, sounded energised by his comeback, even if he narrowly missed the points in P11.
“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.”
Another race weekend gives Tsunoda one more chance to remind the paddock of his speed and aggression, this time on one of the most unforgiving, old-school layouts in the sport.
Iwasa steps into Verstappen’s car
There will be another new name in the Red Bull garage on Friday.
Ayumu Iwasa is set to drive Verstappen’s Red Bull in Free Practice 1 at Monza, adding a further layer to the team’s ongoing evaluation of its talent pool.
For Iwasa, it is a precious hour in the fastest machinery on the grid. For Red Bull, it is another data point in a long-term succession plan that is starting to look crowded.
Hadjar recovering, Lawson scoring, Tsunoda pushing for another chance, Iwasa stepping in for FP1 – Monza will not just be about Verstappen at the front. It will be a live audition for Red Bull’s future, played out at 350 km/h under the old grandstands.
