Hadjar injury keeps Lawson in Red Bull hot seat

Lawson gets another Red Bull chance

Liam Lawson will race alongside Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix after Red Bull confirmed that Isack Hadjar remains sidelined with a wrist injury. The team will retain its Dutch Grand Prix lineup for Round 13 at Monza, where practice starts Friday, September 4.

Lawson gets another full race weekend in Formula 1’s most scrutinized seat.

Hadjar’s recovery continues

Hadjar also sat out the previous round at Zandvoort. With Hadjar still unavailable, Lawson keeps the drive instead of returning to reserve duties, while Yuki Tsunoda is set to compete for Racing Bulls in Italy.

The supplied update gave no return date beyond Monza. The following Spanish Grand Prix takes place from September 11 to 13, giving Hadjar little time to recover before the teams head to the new Madrid event.

A difficult benchmark awaits

Verstappen heads to Italy looking to respond after crashing out of his home Grand Prix. The four-time world champion has scored four podiums in the opening 12 races, including second place in Austria, but he hasn’t won this season.

Lawson’s immediate benchmark is a four-time world champion trying to rebound from what Red Bull described as a disappointing home weekend.

Monza may amplify the opportunity

The 2026 cars are expected to make slipstreaming particularly important along Monza’s long straights. Paddock figures expect tightly packed qualifying tactics and a potentially unpredictable race, increasing the demands on communication and positioning.

Lawson has a highly visible opportunity. Mistakes will also carry a greater cost as Red Bull works a substitute driver into a weekend defined by tow battles and low-downforce setups.

Red Bull’s next decision comes quickly

Practice at Monza begins September 4, and the Italian Grand Prix is scheduled for September 6. Red Bull must then evaluate Hadjar’s condition before the Spanish Grand Prix starts five days later.