Liam Lawson to remain at Red Bull for Italian Grand Prix
Liam Lawson will remain at Red Bull for Formula One’s Italian Grand Prix.
After the Kiwi was afforded the chance to return to Red Bull for last month’s Dutch Grand Prix, moving up from sister outfit Racing Bulls, he will deputise once more at Monza this weekend.
The 24-year-old stepped back into Red Bull after an injury to former teammate Isack Hadjar, who suffered what’s understood to be a hairline fracture in his left wrist during Formula One’s mid-season summer break.
As first reported by the Herald last month, Red Bull are understood to have given Hadjar every chance to pass fit for Monza. However, given the condensed Formula One calendar – which also sees the first Spanish Grand Prix to be raced in Madrid next weekend – Hadjar’s condition has been deemed too high risk to race at Monza.
“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 in the summer break,” Red Bull 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.”
Lawson’s place at Racing Bulls will continue to be filled by former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, despite being contracted to Red Bull as its reserve driver for the 2026 Formula One season.
In Hadjar’s absence, Lawson excelled back at Red Bull – the team who unceremoniously axed him just two races into the 2025 season.
With limited time to prepare, and just one practice session on track given the sprint race format, Lawson qualified eighth at Zandvoort, just 0.115s off four-time world champion and teammate Max Verstappen.
Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
Then, after Verstappen lost control of his car and crashed on the opening lap, Lawson was the only of Red Bull’s four cars to finish in the points, after he drove home to take seventh place.
That finish saw Lawson bank six championship points, taking his season tally to 49, five clear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in the battle to be the championship’s “best of the rest” – the top-performing driver outside Formula One’s top four teams.
Meanwhile, in Lawson’s absence, Racing Bulls finished outside the points altogether at Zandvoort. Tsunoda was the best-placed, crossing the line 11th, while Lawson’s fulltime teammate, Arvid Lindblad, came home 12th.
Those results, coupled with Gasly finishing 10th, cut Racing Bulls’ lead from Alpine for fifth in the constructors championship to five points.
Formula One’s Italian Grand Prix begins with the first practice session, at 10.0pm on Friday (NZT)
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
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