Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar have been waiting for this moment
Liam Lawson has been driving in Formula 1 during each of the past three seasons. He made his F1 debut at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, stepping into the seat at AlphaTauri after Daniel Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand. He again replaced Ricciardo last season, after Visa Cash App RB F1 Team decided to make a driver switch ahead of the United States Grand Prix. And while Lawson began this season alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, he is back with the junior team, racing for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls after a switch was made before the Japanese Grand Prix.
But this week, he will finally experience another first in F1.
Advertisement
His first F1 Monaco Grand Prix.
It is a 'challenge' he is looking forward to.
'This will be my first time racing here in Monaco in a Formula One car and it's a moment I've been looking forward to for a long time,' said Lawson in VCARB's media preview. 'I've raced here before in the junior categories and it has always felt incredibly special, but doing it in F1 takes it to another level. There's so much history and prestige around this track. The margin for error here is tiny, and the challenge is massive, but that's exactly what makes Monaco so special. It's going to take a bit of time to get fully comfortable on track, so all three practice sessions will be crucial. I'm really excited to be here.'
While Lawson has yet to finish in the points this season, his VCARB teammate, Isack Hadjar, is coming off his fourth finish in the points this year, as he came across the line ninth in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Advertisement
Like Lawson, he will get to experience the Monaco Grand Prix in an F1 car for the first time this week.
'Monaco is nearly a home race for me and I'm sure it's going to be a really special weekend,' said Hadjar. 'I believe it's the best Qualifying session of the year as it's a really intense one, so I'm looking forward to it. Following last week's great result in Imola, I feel like the car is working really well. We found a bit more performance, so I'm happy to go again and drive for the first time a Formula One car in Monaco, aiming to fight for a few more points.'
Hadjar delivered one of the more memorable moments of the 2024 F2 season last year in Monaco, with this lightning-quick reaction during qualifying a season ago:
Hopefully, Hadjar will not need those reflexes for a similar moment this week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rosberg says Verstappen antics 'extremely unacceptable' as ban looms
Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg thinks Red Bull's Max Verstappen should have been disqualified from the Spanish Grand Prix after appearing to deliberately ram George Russell's Mercedes. The Dutch world champion was annoyed at having to let the Briton overtake him after a previous near collision, which Rosberg acknowledges was not Verstappen's fault. Advertisement But his decision to pretend to let Russell pass before speeding up and hitting the Mercedes caused a 10-second penalty and knocked him down from fifth to 10th. Rosberg believes he got off lightly with a "very lenient" punishment in Barcelona. "It looked like a very intentional retaliation," he told Sky Sports. "Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn 1. "That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag, yes. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag." Advertisement A black flag means disqualification from the race being run. Verstappen may have avoided being thrown out of the Spanish Grand Prix but F1 bosses are bound to look again at his conduct. He also risks a possible future race ban because of the number of penalty points he has picked up in a 12-month period. He now has 11 and reaching 12 can trigger a suspension.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
George Russell Issues Scathing Statement Regarding the Max Verstappen Collision
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mercedes F1 driver George Russell had some choice words for Max Verstappen after the two drivers collided at the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen hit Russell's car while giving a position back for an earlier collision, which left the Mercedes car damaged. Russell and Verstappen have a storied history of problems on and off the track. The pair had a heated war of words last season. George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty... George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by) More Photo byRussell, after Sunday's collision in Barcelona, went right back at Verstappen for the retaliatory move during his post-race debrief. "It felt very deliberate, to be honest," Russell told reporters after the race. "It's something that I've seen numerous times in sim racing and on iRacing. Never have I seen it in a Formula 1 race. So that was something new. "It's a bit of a shame because Max is clearly one of the best drivers in the world. "But maneuvers like that are just totally unnecessary and sort of lets him down. It's a shame for all the young kids looking up, aspiring to be Formula 1 drivers. "So, as I said, I don't know what he was thinking. In the end, I'm not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics." The collision came as a result of a safety car bunching up the field, leading to a string of on-track battles during the last handful of laps. All of the cars made a pit stop to get a fresh pair of tires because the track in Barcelona was chewing up the cars' rubber. Limited in his choices for tires due to three pit stops, Verstappen was put on hard tires, which left the driver vulnerable since the other nearby cars were on soft tires. After losing a place to Charles Leclerc, Verstappen had Russell right on his tail. Russell went for the overtake on Verstappen, though there was contact between the drivers. A dramatic restart! 😱 This was a heart-in-mouth moment between Verstappen and Leclerc 👀#F1 #SpanishGP — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025 Red Bull were nervous that Verstappen would be given a penalty for the incident and requested that the Dutch driver give Russell the place. Later in the lap, Verstappen started to slow down, seeming ready to give the place back, when out of nowhere he jolts his car into the Mercedes, leading to damage on his rival's car. This collision led to a five-second time penalty, which dropped Verstappen down to P10, while Russell managed to carry on and finish P4. Drama in the closing stages of the race! 😱 Max Verstappen drops to P10 following a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell #F1 #SpanishGP — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025 More F1: Max Verstappen Awarded FIA Platinum License for Endurance Racing For more F1, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nico Rosberg calls for Max Verstappen to be disqualified at end of Spanish GP
Nico Rosberg believes Max Verstappen should have been disqualified from the Spanish Grand Prix after a late collision with George Russell. A late safety car threw the result into chaos, with Verstappen struggling at the restart on hard tyres, with those around him on quicker, soft tyres. Advertisement Having lost third place to Charles Leclerc, Verstappen was then told by his engineer to give fourth place to Russell after the pair made contact at turn 1. Yet when the Dutchman seemed to let his arch-rival through, the Red Bull driver swerved aggressively into the Briton's car. The pair made contact, but a matter of seconds later, Russell did take fourth place. The Brit commented: 'What the f***!' On commentary duties for Sky Sports F1, 2016 F1 world champion Rosberg said of Verstappen's manoeuvre: 'That is bad, that is seriously bad. 'You need to black flag [disqualify] that, there's no other way.' Advertisement Instead, the stewards decided to impose a 10-second time penalty on Verstappen, dropping the Red Bull driver from fifth to 10th in the final standings. Elaborating further after the race, Rosberg added: 'It looked like a retaliation, ramming into the opponent. That's something that is extremely unacceptable, that's why I said black flag.' Verstappen is also under investigation post-race for brief contact made with Leclerc down the main straight after the safety car restart. Max Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty after the Spanish GP (Getty Images) Nico Rosberg believes Verstappen should have been disqualified (Getty Images) Verstappen and Russell were embroiled in a bitter feud at the end of last year, after an incident in Qatar in December, with both taking shots at the other on media day in Abu Dhabi. Advertisement Of Sunday's incident in Barcelona, Russell remarked: 'I've seen those manoeuvres before in simulators and go-karting, not in Formula 1. 'I'm in P4, he's P10 - I don't know what's going through his mind, it felt deliberate in the moment, it felt surprising. 'I'm not going to give it any thought, we have our problems. It's down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not, Max is such an amazing driver, so many people look up to him, it seems completely unnecessary. 'I'm too close to give my opinion on behalf of the drivers but, in Austin last year, he did some of the best moves ever. Then Mexico, he let's himself down a bit. Imola, one of the best moves, and then this happens. It cost him and his team a lot of points. Advertisement 'I'm not going to lose sleep, we've got our own issues to deal with.' Oscar Piastri won the race in Barcelona from pole, with Lando Norris securing a one-two finish for McLaren and Leclerc finishing in third.
