APEX RACEWIRE Newsroom
Hadjar ruled out of Italian Grand Prix as Lawson keeps Red Bull seat for Monza
Red Bull has confirmed Isack Hadjar will miss Monza to avoid rushing his wrist injury rehabilitation, leaving Liam Lawson alongside Max Verstappen while the Frenchman targets a return in Spain.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-09-02T18:20:51.000Z - 2 min read
Red Bull has officially ruled Isack Hadjar out of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, confirming that Liam Lawson will remain alongside Max Verstappen at Monza while the Frenchman continues his recovery from a wrist injury. The decision leaves the front-running team unchanged from the previous round, keeping Lawson in the senior car for a second straight race.
The call arrived two days before track action begins at the Temple of Speed, shutting down Hadjar's hopes of an immediate comeback. In an official statement, Red Bull explained that while Hadjar is making encouraging progress following the injury sustained during the summer break, the team will closely monitor his rehabilitation and refuses to take any unnecessary risks with his competitive return.
Hadjar picked up the freak wrist problem during a routine training workout before the Dutch Grand Prix, forcing him onto the sidelines for the first time in his racing life. Speaking on social media earlier this week, the French driver admitted that sitting out was unfamiliar territory, noting that it was the first injury of his entire career and confessing he was unhappy to be on the bench when he wanted to be completing every lap. Although he reported rapid healing and improving joint mobility, medical caution ultimately prevailed.
The decision maintains stability across both Red Bull-backed outfits for the high-speed Monza weekend. With Lawson staying in the primary squad, Yuki Tsunoda will continue to deputise for the New Zealander at Racing Bulls. The arrangement mirrors the operational setup deployed in the Netherlands, preventing further disruption to both garages on the eve of opening practice.
The timing remains a bitter setback for Hadjar, who entered the summer recess on a standout run of seven consecutive top-six finishes. That consistent form had established him in eighth place in the drivers' championship, just ahead of Lawson in ninth. Lawson capitalised on his sudden recall by finishing seventh at Zandvoort, continuing a robust campaign in which he has failed to score only twice when reaching the chequered flag.
What remains unconfirmed is Hadjar's availability for next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring layout. Monza forms the opening leg of a demanding back-to-back sequence, and Red Bull has yet to set a firm target date for when Hadjar will be cleared to resume driving. Sidelining him for Italy buys critical recovery time, but whether the wrist will withstand the physical forces of a Grand Prix circuit seven days later remains an open question in the paddock.