Max looks ahead to Monza: 'A few things to work on'

Published on 02 September 2026 by Niels Hendrix

Max Verstappen will once again have Liam Lawson as his teammate during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza this coming weekend, after Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury in the run-up to the Dutch Grand Prix. During the first free practice session on Friday, Max hands over his RB22 to the Japanese driver Ayumu Iwasa. All Formula 1 teams are required to field a rookie four times per season. For Max, this is the first session this season where he will have to watch practice from the sidelines for that reason.

The Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver says: “Not being able to finish the race in Zandvoort was disappointing, but it was still really special to see the fans at the circuit one last time and thank them for all the memories. We are heading to Monza, after a reset, and it is difficult to predict how competitive we will be there. There are a few things we need to work on to be a bit closer to the pace and to make sure balance of the car is right.”

Max continues:“Monza is one of my favourite tracks and I like that it is an old school, fast circuit. I always enjoy coming here and seeing the passionate fans. It is a track that we have typically performed well at before so we will wait and see what is possible.”