Liam Lawson: Only informed of Red Bull Racing assignment on Wednesday

For Liam Lawson, his spell with Red Bull Racing initially lasted just two races. Last year, following his appearances in Melbourne and China, he was sent back to the Racing Bulls team; his place was taken by Yuki Tsunoda, who handed his seat over to Isack Hadjar after the 2025 season and had to take a seat on the reserve bench.

However, when Hadjar injured his right wrist during the summer break, his seat was not taken by the Japanese driver, but by Lawson, who was in turn replaced by Tsunoda. And Lawson put in a strong performance. Although he came away empty-handed in the Sprint, finishing eleventh, he managed to secure seventh place in the Grand Prix – and received much praise for his performance.

Normal preparations despite late decision

He now has the chance to build on that at Monza, as Hadjar is not yet fit to race. He only found out on Wednesday that he would be driving the RB22 again, as he explained on the sidelines of the high-speed circuit. “I spent the past week waiting to see what would happen; the decision was made on Wednesday, and of course it’s an interesting situation for me. I knew, of course, that there was a possibility I’d be driving the RB22 again. And naturally it felt a bit late, but we still managed to complete a session in the simulator so that I could prepare for the weekend as normal.”

“Zandvoort was a stressful weekend because it was run in the sprint format. But it was a good World Championship round. It should be easier to adapt here, and we’re also having three free practice sessions here, so it’s a more normal weekend. And that’s why it offers another good chance to prove my ability,” explains the driver with 47 Grand Prix starts to his name, who promises: “I’ll just try to make the best of it.”

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Monza: 3. Freies Training

FIA Formula One World Championship

05.09.2026 - 12:15