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Double Red Bull driver change with Max Verstappen to miss Italian Grand Prix FP1 Red Bull will field a changed line-up for Friday’s opening practice at the Italian Grand Prix, as neither Max Verstappen nor Isack Hadjar will be behind the wheel of the RB22. Verstappen will sit out the session, giving up the first of his two mandatory young driver FP1 sessions to Ayumu Iwasa, while Hadjar continues to recover from his wrist fracture. Liam Lawson will deputise for the Frenchman. Max Verstappen to sit out FP1 at Italian Grand Prix Red Bull announced in the build-up to the Italian Grand Prix weekend that Iwasa will drive Verstappen’s RB22 in Friday’s first practice. In a post to social media, the team wrote: “Ready for Monza. Ayumu will drive Max’s car during FP1, as part of the rookie driver programme.” While that covers the second of Red Bull’s four young driver practice outings, it is only the first for Verstappen as Iwasa previously drove Hadjar’s car in FP1 at the Barcelona Grand Prix in June. As such, both Verstappen and Hadjar will be required to miss one more FP1 session apiece before the end of the F1 2026 season. Verstappen will be back in the car for Friday’s second practice. Max Verstappen vs Isack Hadjar: Red Bull head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying records between teammates F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates It’s the second Red Bull driver change for Monza, with the team having announced on Wednesday that Hadjar is not yet ready to get behind the wheel of his RB22. Lawson will deputise for the Frenchman for the second successive grand prix. “Liam will drive alongside Max at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Isack continues to make encouraging progress following the wrist injury sustained during the summer break,” Red Bull said in a statement. “The team is closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition and wishes him a speedy recovery.” Racing Bulls confirmed that reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda will drive for the team at the Italian Grand Prix in Lawson’s place, having impressed on his return to competition at the Dutch Grand Prix last month. Red Bull remains without a win in F1 2026, with the team sitting fourth in the constructors’ standings – 77 points adrift of third-placed McLaren and 239 behind leaders Mercedes. Verstappen, who is fighting to avoid a first winless season since his debut campaign in 2015, has recorded a best result of second place in Austria and Hungary. Following his retirement from his home race in the Netherlands, Verstappen sits sixth in the drivers’ championship, trailing leader Kimi Antonelli by 130 points. Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists. You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more! Read next: Italian GP predictions: Antonelli disaster, McLaren surprise, civil war breaks out