Liam Lawson will have another opportunity at Red Bull Racing this coming weekend, and the New Zealand driver celebrated the chance to compete in the Formula 1 Italian GP for the team. He will once again share the team with Max Verstappen in Monza.
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Lawson’s stay happens because Isack Hadjar is still recovering from a wrist fracture suffered during the category’s break in August. As a result, Red Bull will repeat in Monza the same driver duo used in the Dutch GP, while Yuki Tsunoda will continue at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad.
Lawson had a positive debut in the RB22 at Zandvoort, finishing in seventh position and scoring six points, even after receiving a ten-second penalty for not sufficiently reducing speed under yellow flags. As Verstappen retired from the race after an accident right on the first lap, Lawson was the only Red Bull driver to score points over the weekend.
The New Zealander also highlighted that the Sprint format of the Dutch GP limited his adaptation time to the car with only one free practice session, but believes the experience gained will be important in Monza: “Zandvoort gave me a very useful initial reference in the car, and having gone through a full weekend with the Sprint format means I arrive in Monza with a much better understanding of the car and what I need from it,” he said.
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Lawson also expressed satisfaction at continuing with the main team, while wishing Hadjar a speedy recovery: “It’s good to know that Isack is recovering well and will be back in the car soon, but it’s great to have another weekend with the team,” he added.
He acknowledged that the Italian circuit will represent a different challenge, but hopes to leverage the accumulated knowledge to progress: “It’s a completely different track, and there will be new challenges, but I’m looking forward to evolving from last weekend with the team and seeing what we can do,” Lawson concluded.
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