Max Verstappen will start his Italian Grand Prix weekend from the garage rather than the cockpit, but any panic about his Monza plans is badly misplaced. He is not injured, not suspended, and not skipping the race. This is strategy, not crisis.
For Friday’s opening practice at the Temple of Speed, Red Bull will hand Verstappen’s RB22 to Ayumu Iwasa. The 25-year-old Japanese driver, part of the team’s reserve and development stable, will take the wheel in FP1 before stepping aside for the reigning world champion for FP2 and the rest of the weekend.
So Verstappen’s name stays on the car. It just won’t be him turning the laps in that first hour.
Why Iwasa Gets the Call
This isn’t a gamble on performance. It’s Red Bull ticking a regulatory box with a driver they rate.
F1 rules require teams to run rookie drivers in a set number of free practice sessions across the season. Monza’s FP1 is one of those slots for Red Bull, and Iwasa has been chosen to fill it in Verstappen’s car.
He will gain valuable mileage in the RB22, experience that matters both for his own development and for Red Bull’s long-term planning. Verstappen, meanwhile, sacrifices only the least critical session of the weekend and still keeps ample track time to tune his setup for qualifying and Sunday’s race.
It is, in essence, a controlled rotation.
Verstappen’s Weekend Is Intact
The Dutchman flagged the plan in advance: Iwasa runs FP1, Verstappen returns for FP2 and continues as normal from there. No late scramble, no uncertainty inside the garage.
He will still have two practice sessions to dial in his balance, work through long-run pace, and sharpen his one-lap performance before qualifying. For a driver of his experience at a circuit he knows intimately, missing FP1 is an inconvenience, not a handicap.
The real story lies elsewhere in the Red Bull camp.
More Changes in the Red Bull Ranks
There is another shuffle involving Red Bull-linked drivers at Monza, and this one is enforced rather than elective.
Hadjar remains sidelined with a wrist injury and will not take part, which keeps Liam Lawson in the frame alongside Verstappen at Red Bull. Yuki Tsunoda, in turn, steps in for Lawson at Racing Bulls.
The movement underlines how tightly interconnected Red Bull’s driver pool has become. One injury, one opportunity, and the dominoes fall across both the senior team and its sister outfit.
A Champion With a Point to Prove
Verstappen arrives at Monza with something sharper than usual in his tone. His crash at the Dutch Grand Prix left a mark, and not just on the timing sheets. He has pushed Red Bull to be realistic about their current pace, wary of assuming last year’s victory at Monza guarantees anything this time around.
The hunger is obvious. So is the edge.
He may watch FP1 from the pit wall while Iwasa takes his shot in the RB22, but when Verstappen climbs back into the car for FP2, the question will be the same as ever: can anyone stop him once the visor comes down at the Temple of Speed?
