Red Bull enters the Italian Grand Prix weekend facing a series of challenges, with both Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson encountering significant hurdles. Verstappen has voiced considerable frustration regarding his car’s performance, while Lawson will start from the back of the grid due to penalties.
Verstappen’s Car Concerns
Max Verstappen qualified sixth for the Italian Grand Prix [1], but his confidence for the race is low. The Dutch driver has expressed ongoing concerns about his Red Bull car, describing it as being “made out of paper” due to persistent issues with rear components. These problems have led to excessive bouncing and a loss of lap time, a situation that has reportedly plagued the team for years [2]. Verstappen indicated that if these issues are not resolved, his confidence for the upcoming race will remain low [2].
Lawson’s Grid Penalty and Qualifying Incident
Liam Lawson, who qualified in 14th place [1], will start the Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid. This penalty is a result of new power unit components being fitted to his car [1]. His qualifying session was also hampered when he was impeded by Oscar Piastri at the first chicane [3], which prevented him from making it into Q3 [2]. Piastri subsequently received a three-place grid penalty for the incident, promoting other drivers including Verstappen [1]. Additionally, Isack Hadjar is reported to be injured [1].