Liam Lawson's Impressive Performance and Hadjar's Uncertainty Ahead of Monza
Liam Lawson has already had tougher targets than most rookies. Before he even climbed into Red Bull’s RB22 for his two-race stint, the internal benchmark was clear: get within three-tenths of Max Verstappen. Against the most ruthless reference point in modern Formula 1, that is a brutal yardstick.
He went better.
At Zandvoort, with no prior mileage in the RB22, Lawson ended up just 0.115s off Verstappen’s time. In a car he had never driven before, in a team built around the reigning world champion, the Kiwi carved that gap down to little more than the blink of an eye. In pure performance terms, it may be the most telling line on his weekend résumé.
Now, though, the next chapter depends on someone else’s body holding together.
Hadjar’s race against the clock
Between Zandvoort and Monza sits a single week and a lot of uncertainty. Isack Hadjar’s fitness remains an open question, and crucially, nobody inside the paddock is willing to call it either way yet.
Multiple sources have told the Herald that there are no guarantees about Hadjar’s participation in Italy. No quiet confirmations, no off-the-record nods. The Frenchman will be given as much time as possible to prove he is fit to race at Monza, and the team will wait.
Behind that patience, contingency plans are already being weighed. One source has even floated a scenario that underlines just how fine the margins are: Hadjar could take part in the first practice session of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, then step aside for Lawson if it becomes clear he cannot continue.
That kind of mid-weekend driver switch is not straightforward. It would require sign-off from the FIA, and any such decision would land under intense scrutiny. But the fact it is being talked about at all shows how delicately this situation is being managed.
Mugello miles for the Kiwi
While the medical checks and fitness assessments continue for Hadjar, Lawson has been busy doing the one thing that truly matters for a young driver on the cusp: driving.
Red Bull handed him another opportunity to get comfortable in the RB22, this time at Mugello, on the opening day of a Pirelli tyre test in Italy. It was a long, hard day’s work. Exactly what he needed.
Alongside McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Lawson spent the day running through Pirelli’s programme, focused on the tyre compounds being developed for the 2027 Formula One season. This was not about lap times or headlines. It was about data, consistency, and the quiet craft of learning a car at speed.
Lawson reportedly completed 116 laps of the demanding Mugello circuit – the equivalent of two full race distances – before handing the Red Bull over to Racing Bulls reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa overnight. Two race distances in one day, in a current-spec Red Bull, around one of the most physical tracks on the calendar. For a reserve hungry for a full-time seat, those are golden miles.
All eyes on Monza
The Italian Grand Prix weekend opens on September 4 (NZT), with the race set for September 7. Between now and then, the story will be written in medical rooms, briefing suites, and quiet phone calls.
Hadjar fights to prove he is ready. Lawson keeps himself sharp, logging laps and waiting for a call that may or may not come.
Monza will answer the only question that matters: who gets the next chance in that Red Bull cockpit when the lights go out in Italy?
