Liam Lawson will remain with Red Bull for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with Isack Hadjar ruled out for a second consecutive Formula 1 round as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.
The confirmation gives Lawson another opportunity alongside Max Verstappen after the New Zealander made an impressive return to the senior Red Bull team at Zandvoort two weeks ago.
Hadjar suffered the injury while training during Formula 1’s summer break and was unable to compete at the Dutch Grand Prix, prompting a late reshuffle across Red Bull’s two teams.
Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull for the weekend, while Yuki Tsunoda returned to the grid to take the Kiwi’s place alongside Arvid Lindblad.
That same combination will remain in place at Monza, with Red Bull opting not to rush Hadjar back into the car despite encouraging progress in his recovery.
“Liam will drive alongside Max [Verstappen] at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Isack continues to make encouraging progress following the wrist injury sustained during the summer break,” Red Bull confirmed.
“The team is closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition and wishes him a speedy recovery.”
Racing Bulls also confirmed Tsunoda will remain in Lawson’s regular seat for another weekend. The decision comes after several days of uncertainty surrounding Red Bull’s Italian Grand Prix line-up.
Hadjar had hoped to return at Monza and provided a positive update during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, saying the swelling around his injured wrist had reduced and his movement was steadily improving.
“Actually it’s my first injury ever in my whole existence, career, whatever, so it’s weird to be on the bench,” Hadjar said.
“I’m not happy about it, for the team and for me. Obviously I want to be there every lap.”
Hadjar said his wrist was “healing fast” and that he was gaining mobility each day, but Red Bull has ultimately decided another weekend on the sidelines is the better option.
For Lawson, it means a second successive opportunity to build on what was a significantly more successful return to Red Bull than his brief spell with the team last season.
The 24-year-old was drafted into the squad at short notice ahead of Zandvoort but quickly adapted to the RB22. He progressed to Q3 and qualified eighth, finishing only just over a tenth of a second behind Verstappen.
Lawson then became Red Bull’s only remaining driver early in Sunday’s race after Verstappen crashed on the opening lap. Despite the added responsibility and a late penalty, Lawson brought the car home seventh to score six points on his return to the team.
“It’s a very, very strong demonstration of what Liam has been doing this weekend. One tenth from Max, jumping to a team from another,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said following the race.
“It’s easy to forget that one year ago he had a pretty nightmare experience here [at Red Bull] in the first two races. And today he has proven that he can still do it.”
Lawson himself acknowledged there had been plenty to learn after suddenly finding himself back behind the wheel of a Red Bull.
“It’s been a good weekend,” he said.
“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.”
The Kiwi has since gained further valuable experience in Red Bull machinery, completing a Pirelli tyre development test at Mugello following the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lawson completed 116 laps and more than 600 kilometres during the test, giving him considerably more time behind the wheel ahead of his second race weekend with the team.
His performance at Zandvoort also attracted praise from former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who believes Lawson has returned to Red Bull a more confident and mentally stronger driver following the difficulties of his previous stint.
Lawson lasted just two rounds with Red Bull last season before moving back to Racing Bulls, but Steiner believes that experience ultimately helped his development.
“Last year’s car was difficult to drive for anybody,” Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast. I would also say Liam wasn’t given enough time. He has another year under his belt. What he went through there made him tougher mentally, because that’s not easy to [endure].
“And now he goes in a Red Bull and has got quite a good level of confidence.”
Steiner felt Lawson also approached his latest opportunity with a different mindset, rather than allowing the inevitable comparison with Verstappen to dictate his weekend.
“Mentally, he was like ‘, I cannot lose here. I do the best with what I can. I don’t focus on Max. I do my thing and try to do the best. A lot of little things coming together, and all of a sudden it worked.”
Monza will now provide Lawson with another chance to demonstrate that progress as he takes on one of Formula 1’s fastest circuits in the RB22.
The weekend will begin slightly differently for the Kiwi, with Red Bull reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa set to take over Verstappen’s car during Friday’s opening practice session.
Lawson is expected to complete the full session in the other Red Bull before Verstappen returns for Free Practice 2.
For Lawson, the Italian Grand Prix represents another unexpected opportunity in what has quickly become a significant period of his Formula 1 season.
Having arrived at Zandvoort with little preparation and left with a seventh-place finish, he now heads to Monza with considerably more mileage under his belt and another full weekend to strengthen his case in Red Bull machinery.
Header Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
