Liam Lawson will start from the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1 after Red Bull installed a new power unit in his RB22 shortly before qualifying. The New Zealander is competing in his second consecutive race in place of Isack Hadjar.
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Hadjar remains unable to return to the cockpit due to the wrist injury that already kept him out of the Dutch GP. As a result, Lawson stays alongside Max Verstappen in Monza, while there is still no certainty about the Frenchman’s return for the next round in Madrid.
Lawson will not be the only one penalized. Alex Albon and Kimi Antonelli are also scheduled to start at the back of the grid after exceeding the allowed number of components throughout the season.
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The situation may open a strategic opportunity for Verstappen in qualifying. Since Lawson’s starting position lost importance, the New Zealander could eventually offer a slipstream to his teammate if he manages to advance to Q3. Mercedes tested a similar idea in TL3, when Antonelli helped George Russell with the slipstream on one of his laps.
However, Lawson’s performance in the last free practice was below Verstappen’s. The New Zealander finished TL3 in 12th, almost a second behind his teammate, while the Dutchman showed stronger pace and ended the session in third place.
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