Liam Lawson competes in Formula 1 Italian GP with Red Bull after Hadjar is banned due to injury By Thiago Lemos
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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull’s French driver, will remain away from the track to recover from a wrist injury, which will leave him out of the Italian Grand Prix, which takes place at the Autodromo Nacional de Monza on September 2, 2026. In his place, New Zealander Liam Lawson will continue competing for the Austrian team in the Italian Formula 1 stage.
Hadjar was expected to return this week, but the Red Bull team confirmed the 21-year-old driver’s absence. Two weeks ago, the athlete had already been left out of the Dutch GP due to the same problem, and was then replaced by Lawson, who managed to finish the race in seventh place at the Zandvoort Circuit.
In an official statement, Red Bull explained that “Liam will race alongside Max at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Isack continues to make positive progress following the wrist injury suffered during the summer break.” The team also stressed that it is “closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will not take unnecessary risks in his return to competition”, wishing Hadjar a speedy recovery.
For the Racing Bulls team, the vacancy left by Lawson will be occupied again by Yuki Tsunoda, just as happened in the Netherlands. The Japanese driver, who started for Red Bull in 2025 and became a reserve this season, finished the race in Zandvoort in 11th place, surpassing his teammate Arvid Lindblad.
Isack Hadjar’s injury, a broken wrist, was the result of boxing training. The incident occurred while the pilot was practicing punching a sandbag, according to information from a British website.
Over the weekend, Red Bull released images of Hadjar in the Zandvoort paddock, where the driver still appeared with his hand bandaged. At the time, he stated that his recovery was progressing quickly and that the swelling in the injured area had already reduced.
Currently in eighth place in the championship with 68 points, Isack Hadjar was hired by Red Bull this year. His best result to date was fourth at the Monaco GP, although Pierre Gasly’s third place is still under dispute and could see Hadjar inherit a podium place.
