Liam Lawson admits Monza grid penalty was known before qualifying

Liam Lawson has revealed he knew he would be taking a grid penalty at the Italian Grand Prix before the weekend even began. The Red Bull driver, standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar, was blocked by Oscar Piastri in Q2, but the setback had little impact on his starting position.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's decision to take new components means Lawson will start from the back, ending any hopes of points. With Hadjar still recovering, the team is prioritizing race pace over qualifying performance.

The details:

• Lawson was retained for a second consecutive race as Hadjar continues his recovery.
• Red Bull confirmed the penalty shortly before qualifying, with Lawson taking on new components.
• The engine allocation still belongs to Hadjar, meaning the penalty is tied to the car, not the driver.
• Qualifying impact: Lawson was blocked by Piastri at Turn 1 during Q2, but he admitted the team's focus was already on the race.
• Race preparation: "The goal was to try and focus this week on the race anyway. We've got the penalty for tomorrow, so yesterday we were very long-run focused," Lawson said.

What's next:

Lawson will start from the back at Monza, where overtaking is possible but difficult. The team will likely use the race to test long-run pace and gather data. With Hadjar still on the sidelines, this is a key chance for Lawson to prove his worth.