Lawson Retains Seat at Monza as Red Bull Monitors Hadjar's Recovery

Red Bull will keep Isack Hadjar on the sidelines for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, opting for caution over haste as Liam Lawson retains the seat.

Hadjar fractured his wrist ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and sat out the weekend. The Frenchman has since taken a deliberately conservative path back, even consulting MotoGP great Marc Marquez — a man who knows all too well how a rushed return from an arm break in 2020 derailed a career that once looked unstoppable.

Red Bull’s stance is clear. The team says it is “closely monitoring” Hadjar’s rehabilitation and, despite “encouraging progress”, will “take no unnecessary risks with his return”. In a season where driver development is a long-term project as much as a short-term fix, they are refusing to gamble with a young talent’s future for the sake of one race.

That opens the door again for Lawson.

The New Zealander stepped into the RB22 at Zandvoort and delivered a composed, quietly impressive performance, finishing seventh on his debut grand prix with the team. It was the sort of drive that earns you another look in a cut-throat paddock.

“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, with its banking and changeable conditions, gave him a crash course in what the car demands. “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.”

Now comes a very different test. Monza, the Temple of Speed, strips a car to its essentials: straight-line efficiency, stability under braking, and nerve. Lawson will run the full weekend programme, armed with that first-race experience and the benefit of a more conventional build-up.

There is another twist to Red Bull’s rookie policy. Max Verstappen will step aside in first practice, handing his RB22 to Ayumu Iwasa to satisfy the team’s season-long requirement to give rookies four practice outings. It is a brief window, but for Iwasa it is a priceless one: laps in a front-running car at one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar.

As at Zandvoort, Yuki Tsunoda will move across to cover Lawson’s usual Racing Bulls seat, maintaining continuity for the sister outfit while Red Bull juggles its young driver commitments.

Hadjar waits, Lawson pushes, Iwasa gets his shot. Monza will not decide any titles for Red Bull, but it may quietly shape the pecking order of its next generation.