Hadjar or Lawson alongside Verstappen at Red Bull? Here’s when Red Bull will decide

Hadjar was absent during the Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a wrist injury over the summer break. Red Bull then promoted Lawson from Racing Bulls, while Yuki Tsunoda took the New Zealander’s seat at the sister team. Both F1 drivers immediately impressed, with Lawson finishing P7 and Tsunoda P11.

After the weekend in Zandvoort, the question remained whether Hadjar would recover in time for Monza. GPblog had already reported that Lawson would stay with Red Bull in the lead-up to the Italian Grand Prix so he could fill in again if Hadjar wasn’t sufficiently recovered. Shortly after the Dutch GP, he did just that: the New Zealander took part in a Pirelli tire test at Mugello.

A final decision will follow by Wednesday at the latest, GPblog has understood. Red Bull wants to give Hadjar as much recovery time as possible before deciding who will take the seat in the RB22 alongside Verstappen next weekend. If Hadjar cannot drive, Lawson is ready once again to take his place.

During the Zandvoort weekend, Hadjar said his recovery was progressing well. The Frenchman indicated that his wrist was not swollen and that he was gaining more range of motion each day. He also expressed hope that he would be able to get back behind the wheel in Monza. Red Bull likewise said after the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort that it was aiming for a possible return during the Italian Grand Prix.

The team took no risks with Hadjar’s injury in the Netherlands. The Frenchman initially wanted to see if driving was possible despite the injury, but was advised, including by MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, not to rush his recovery.

As a result, Lawson unexpectedly got another chance at Red Bull, while the same happened for Tsunoda at Racing Bulls. The New Zealander qualified eighth in Zandvoort and finished the Grand Prix in seventh place. His temporary move was initially only for the Dutch race weekend, but Red Bull is keeping him available as long as there is no clarity about Hadjar.