Liam Lawson reveals 'quite late' Red Bull call as Isack Hadjar pain persists

Liam Lawson has revealed he was told by Red Bull on Wednesday that he would again replace Isack Hadjar, a decision he admitted came "quite late".

Hadjar remains on the sidelines for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix due to persistent wrist pain following an injury sustained while training during the summer break.

As at Zandvoort a fortnight ago, Lawson has been called up from Racing Bulls to replace the Frenchman, while Yuki Tsunoda is again alongside Arvid Lindblad in the sister outfit.

Lawson knew there was a strong chance he would be back in the RB22 at Monza, and he still managed to complete his usual pre-race prep despite the late decision for Hadjar to sit out.

Asked when he was told he would replace Hadjar again, Lawson told select media, including RacingNews365: "Wednesday. So, for the last week, it's been sort of just waiting to see.

"Obviously, trying to give Isack the best chance as well for his recovery. But, yeah, I think in the back of my mind, I knew that obviously there was still a chance. 

"But, obviously, only being on Wednesday, it felt quite late, but we had enough time to still do a simulator session and normal prep for the weekend."

Lawson's second chance

Monza represents another chance for Lawson to show Red Bull just what he can do, particularly after impressing in Zandvoort.

Despite only having one practice session due to it being a Sprint event, Lawson went on to make Q3 and finish the Dutch GP in seventh.

By having the traditional format in Monza, Lawson is expecting a less stressful event and more time to settle into the RB22.

Discussing what his mindset is going into the weekend, Lawson replied: "Just try and make the most of it. Again, I think, yeah, obviously, it's an interesting position for me to be in.

"And Zandvoort was, yeah, I mean, being a Sprint weekend is obviously quite stressful at times, but overall it was a good weekend.

"And at least now I've had that, you know, it should be a bit easier to adjust. We also have three practice sessions here. It's a much more normal weekend. So, yeah, it's another good opportunity."