Liam Lawson to Partner Max Verstappen at Italian Grand Prix
Liam Lawson will stay in the Red Bull seat for the Italian Grand Prix, with the team confirming the New Zealander will once again partner Max Verstappen at Monza as Isack Hadjar continues his recovery from injury.
The decision ends days of quiet uncertainty around Red Bull’s line-up for one of the calendar’s blue‑riband events. Hadjar, sidelined at Zandvoort with a wrist injury sustained over the summer break, had been given as long as possible to prove his fitness. The answer, for now, is still no.
Lawson rewarded after sharp Zandvoort stand‑in
Lawson’s late call-up at the Dutch Grand Prix could easily have been a damage‑limitation exercise. Instead, he turned it into a statement.
Thrown into the RB22 at short notice, he qualified eighth at Zandvoort and converted that into seventh place on Sunday, delivering his first points finish for the Milton Keynes outfit after last year’s brief cameo spell. In a car that Red Bull itself admitted had taken a “step back” in the Netherlands, that result carried weight.
He then stayed in the cockpit in the days that followed, heading to Mugello for Pirelli tyre testing as the Italian manufacturer continues its early work on compounds for the 2027 season. Those extra laps won’t hurt as he heads into Monza with a second consecutive race weekend to build on that momentum.
Hadjar’s wait goes on
For Hadjar, the frustration is obvious. The Frenchman was spotted at the FFSA French Junior Karting Championship late last week, still wearing a wrist brace, a visible reminder of why this call was always going to be tight.
Red Bull stretched the decision as far as it could, monitoring his rehabilitation and leaving the door open for a late turnaround. It never came. The team has been clear it will not gamble with his long‑term fitness for the sake of a single race, no matter how iconic the venue.
In a statement, Red Bull underlined that stance: Liam will drive alongside Max at Monza, while Hadjar “continues to make encouraging progress” from his summer-break injury. The message is simple: no unnecessary risks, no shortcuts, just a measured route back.
Tsunoda stays on duty at Racing Bulls
The ripple effect of Red Bull’s injury reshuffle continues at its sister operation.
Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, drafted in at Zandvoort to deputise at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad, will remain in that role for Monza. It keeps the wider Red Bull camp stable heading into a high‑speed weekend where experience and composure under braking from 350km/h to almost walking pace can define a race.
So Lawson gets another shot on one of Formula 1’s grandest stages, Verstappen retains a stand‑in teammate who has already shown he can deliver under pressure, and Hadjar waits for the moment his wrist — and his team — finally give him the green light.
At Monza, opportunities tend to come at 200 miles an hour. Lawson now has a second chance to prove he belongs in that slipstream for good.
