Red Bull has doubled down on Liam Lawson for the Italian Grand Prix, confirming the New Zealander will stay alongside Max Verstappen at Monza while Isack Hadjar continues his recovery from a wrist injury.
The call comes after a late fitness wait on Hadjar, who was already forced to sit out Zandvoort. The Frenchman, injured over the summer break, has been judged not yet ready to wrestle an RB22 around one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.
Lawson, meanwhile, has done everything asked of a stand‑in – and then some.
Lawson earns another shot
Drafted in at short notice for the Dutch Grand Prix, Lawson slotted into the Red Bull garage and immediately looked at home. He qualified eighth, kept his composure in the chaos of Zandvoort, and brought the car back seventh to bank his first points finish for the Milton Keynes outfit.
He had tasted F1 action with the team last season, but this was his first meaningful haul in Red Bull colours. With Hadjar confined to the garage, still nursing that wrist, Lawson turned the opportunity into a statement.
Red Bull didn’t park him after Sunday, either. Lawson stayed in the cockpit of the RB22 for Pirelli tyre testing at Mugello in the days that followed, helping evaluate prototype compounds for the 2027 season. More mileage, more data, more reasons to trust him.
Hadjar still sidelined
Hadjar’s determination to return has been obvious. He was seen at the FFSA French Junior Karting Championship late last week, still wearing a wrist brace, a visible reminder of why Red Bull refused to rush the decision.
The team stretched the call as late as it sensibly could, weighing up medical advice and the demands of Monza’s brutal braking zones. In the end, the risk was too high.
In a statement, Red Bull confirmed: “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.”
No gamble, no shortcuts. Hadjar waits. Lawson races.
Tsunoda stays in the sister car
The ripple effect runs through the Red Bull system. At Zandvoort, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda stepped in at Racing Bulls, lining up alongside Arvid Lindblad. That pairing remains intact for Monza, locking in continuity across both teams for one of the season’s showcase weekends.
So Verstappen leads the charge, Lawson gets another high‑pressure audition, Hadjar keeps rebuilding, and Tsunoda continues to plug a crucial gap.
Monza has a habit of sharpening careers and exposing weaknesses. For Lawson and Hadjar, it may end up marking a quiet turning point in Red Bull’s long‑term driver puzzle.
