Red Bull Confirms Liam Lawson for Monza as Isack Hadjar Remains Injured

Red Bull has doubled down on Liam Lawson for Monza, confirming the New Zealander will stay alongside Max Verstappen for the Italian Grand Prix while Isack Hadjar continues his recovery from a wrist injury.

Hadjar, who missed Zandvoort after being sidelined late in the build-up, had been the subject of a waiting game as the team assessed whether he could be passed fit in time for Formula 1’s fastest weekend of the year. The answer, in the end, was no.

Lawson, drafted in at short notice for the Dutch Grand Prix, did far more than simply keep the seat warm. He qualified eighth and brought the car home seventh, banking his first points for the Milton Keynes outfit and reminding the paddock why his name keeps surfacing whenever a vacancy appears.

It was a sharp, composed drive from a man who only had a brief stint with the team last season. This time, he turned the opportunity into tangible numbers on the board, while Hadjar watched from the garage, nursing the damage from an injury picked up over the summer break.

Red Bull didn’t park Lawson after Zandvoort, either. He stayed in the RB22 for Pirelli tyre testing at Mugello in the days that followed, helping the Italian manufacturer work through prototype compounds for its 2027 rubber. More mileage, more data, more time in a current-spec car. For a reserve, that’s gold dust.

Hadjar, meanwhile, has been visible but not yet ready. He was seen at the FFSA French Junior Karting Championship late last week, still wearing a wrist brace, a clear visual cue that a Monza comeback would be a gamble. Red Bull chose not to roll the dice.

The team delayed its call as long as it realistically could, weighing medical advice against the demands of a track that punishes any weakness. When the decision came, it was decisive: Lawson stays in, Hadjar sits out.

In a statement, Red Bull underlined both sides of that equation: opportunity and caution.

“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. “The Team is closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition and wishes him a speedy recovery.”

The message is clear. There will be no rushed heroics, no compromised fitness in a field where tenths decide careers. Hadjar’s time will come, but not at the cost of long-term damage.

The knock-on effect of Red Bull’s reshuffle continues at its sister outfit. Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, who stepped in at Racing Bulls at Zandvoort alongside Arvid Lindblad, will keep that role at Monza. It keeps the wider Red Bull structure stable, even as injuries and stand-ins shuffle the usual order.

So Lawson heads into Monza with momentum, another chance in front of the Tifosi, in a car capable of points and a team watching closely. Hadjar, forced to wait again, can only focus on healing that wrist and making sure that when his next opportunity comes, he’s ready to grab it with both hands.