Liam Lawson to Drive for Red Bull at Monza

Liam Lawson will stay alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with Isack Hadjar ruled out again as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury.

Red Bull confirmed the decision overnight, ending Hadjar’s hopes of making a swift return after he targeted Sunday’s race as his comeback. Instead, the Frenchman will miss a second consecutive event, his place once more going to the in-form Lawson.

The ripple effect continues down the grid. Lawson’s usual seat at Racing Bulls again goes to Yuki Tsunoda, who made his F1 return at Zandvoort after being dropped by Red Bull in December.

“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 on social media. “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 timeline has been set for Hadjar beyond Monza. There was no indication from Red Bull whether he could be back for next week’s Spanish Grand Prix, leaving his short-term future in the car uncertain.

Hadjar’s injury, suffered during the summer break and reportedly in a boxing workout just days before the Dutch Grand Prix, has already forced him to watch one race from the sidelines. At Zandvoort, he sat out with a wrist brace and spoke openly in a team video about the frustration of being reduced to a spectator.

“It’s my first injury ever in my whole existence, career, whatever. It’s weird to be on the bench and I’m not happy about it,” he said. “It’s not swollen, which is a good sign. It’s healing fast. Every day I have a bit more mobility and I’m hopeful for Monza.”

That hope has gone. The medical reality has not caught up with his competitive instinct, and Red Bull have opted for caution.

For Lawson, the door stays open at exactly the right moment. The New Zealander is in the middle of his strongest Formula 1 season to date, sitting ninth in the standings, one place behind Hadjar, and already with almost double the points of Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. His form helped trigger his recall to Red Bull, just months after the team dropped him following a brief two-race stint in 2025.

He has made this chance count. Promoted from Racing Bulls at Zandvoort, Lawson delivered a composed drive to seventh, underlining his case as a reliable points scorer in a car built around a dominant Verstappen. Tsunoda, shaking off the rust on his F1 return, finished 11th.

Now comes Monza, with its long straights, heavy braking zones and unforgiving spotlight. Lawson keeps the seat, Hadjar keeps waiting, and Red Bull keep their options open as the season tightens and every decision starts to echo a little louder.