Hadjar Sits Out Monza as Lawson Continues in RB22

Red Bull has chosen caution over haste. Isack Hadjar will miss a second consecutive Formula 1 weekend, sitting out the Italian Grand Prix at Monza while Liam Lawson continues in the RB22.

Hadjar, sidelined since fracturing his wrist ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, is deliberately slowing things down. The Frenchman has even turned to MotoGP great Marc Marquez for guidance, acutely aware of how the Spaniard’s rushed 2020 return from an arm break derailed a glittering career. That caution has clearly filtered through to Red Bull.

The team says it is “closely monitoring” Hadjar’s rehabilitation and, despite “encouraging progress”, insists it “will take no unnecessary risks with his return”. In a season where every lap counts for a rookie, that is a significant call. It is also a firm statement: long-term health over short-term mileage.

Lawson's Opportunity

For Lawson, it is another unexpected chance – and one he has already shown he can handle. Thrown into the RB22 at Zandvoort, he delivered a composed drive to seventh place in the grand prix, quickly finding his feet in changeable conditions and a high-pressure environment.

“It’s good to hear Isack is recovering well and is back in the car soon, but it’s great to have another weekend with the team,” Lawson said.

Zandvoort, he added, gave him a crucial baseline: “Zandvoort gave me a really useful first reference in the car, and having a full sprint weekend behind me means I’m coming into Monza with a much better understanding of the car and what I need from it.”

This time, there are no first-weekend nerves, no unknowns about procedures or systems. Lawson will take on the full Monza schedule, armed with data, experience, and a clearer sense of how to extract performance from the car over a conventional race weekend.

Red Bull's Italian Weekend

There is another twist to Red Bull’s Italian weekend. Max Verstappen will hand his RB22 to Ayumu Iwasa for a practice session as the team continues to fulfil its season-long obligation to run rookies in four FP1 outings. For Iwasa, it is a rare and valuable window into the sharp end of the grid, a live audition in front of the people who shape Red Bull’s future driver line-ups.

As at Zandvoort, Yuki Tsunoda will slide back into his usual Racing Bulls seat, with Lawson stepping out of that role to remain in the senior Red Bull car. The structure is familiar now; the stakes are not. Another strong showing from Lawson at Monza, on one of Formula 1’s purest power circuits, will only sharpen the questions about how Red Bull’s driver hierarchy looks beyond this injury-enforced reshuffle.

Hadjar waits, heals and watches. Lawson drives. Monza will say plenty about what each of those paths might mean for Red Bull’s next move.