Motor racing-Lawson says biggest challenge pre-Monza was working with two teams at once

Formula One F1 - Italian Grand Prix - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy - September 3, 2026 RB's Liam Lawson arrives ahead of the Italian Grand Prix REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

MONZA, Italy, Sept ⁠3 (Reuters) - Liam Lawson's biggest challenge leading into the Italian Grand Prix ⁠weekend has been having to prepare for two very different Formula ‌One cars without knowing which he was going to race.

Red Bull finally ended the New Zealander's predicament by telling him on Wednesday that he would be driving for them for the second ​weekend in a row as a stand-in for ⁠injured Frenchman Isack Hadjar while Yuki ⁠Tsunoda replaced Lawson at Racing Bulls.

Asked which set of engineers he had been ⁠talking ‌to since he stepped in at last month's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Lawson said he had to keep his options open.

"Been doing ⁠both, just to try and stay ready for both. ​Obviously, both teams, both ‌cars to know," he said.

"They are very different (cars) to drive, so it's ⁠not the ​easiest thing going between the two, even just in the simulator. But, yeah, that's been the biggest challenge. It's nice to finally have an answer, from Wednesday, to know ⁠that I can basically just put all my ​focus onto this car."

Lawson finished seventh in the main race at Zandvoort after teammate and four-time champion Max Verstappen crashed out on the opening lap.

The Kiwi said ⁠that while the Racing Bulls and Red Bull cars had the same Red Bull power unit, not much else was the same.

"The way they drive, the balance of the car is very, very different. So without saying too much it ​is a very different car to drive. The ⁠feedback I get through the steering, everything, the way it feels, the way it ​moves around, it's very different."

Verstappen, who was under ‌the weather for his home race but ​has now reported fit again, won at Monza last year but Red Bull are only fourth in the latest standings.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin)

Thank you for your report!

一级方程式赛车（F1）——意大利大奖赛——意大利蒙扎国家赛车场——2026年9月3日，RB车队的利亚姆·劳森在意大利大奖赛前抵达赛道。（路透社/古列尔莫·曼贾帕内摄）

意大利蒙扎，9 月 3 日（路透社）——利亚姆·劳森在意大利大奖赛周末前面临的最大挑战是，他必须为两辆截然不同的 F1 赛车做准备，却不知道自己将驾驶哪辆赛车。

红牛车队终于结束了这位新西兰车手的困境，周三他告诉车手，他将连续第二个周末代表红牛车队参赛，顶替受伤的法国车手伊萨克·哈贾尔，而角田裕毅则取代劳森在Racing Bulls车队参赛。

当被问及自从上个月在赞德沃特赛道举行的荷兰大奖赛上接手车队以来，他一直在与哪组工程师进行洽谈时，劳森表示他必须保持开放的态度。

“我一直在两方面都做，就是为了保持两方面的准备。显然，我需要了解两支车队，两辆赛车，”他说。

“这两辆车开起来差别很大，所以即使只是在模拟器里，在这两辆车之间切换也不容易。没错，这确实是最大的挑战。很高兴终于在周三有了结果，知道我可以把所有精力都集中在这辆车上了。”

在赞德沃特赛道的主赛中，劳森最终获得第七名，他的队友、四届世界冠军马克斯·维斯塔潘在第一圈就摔车退赛。

这位新西兰人表示，虽然 Racing Bulls 和 Red Bull 赛车都使用相同的 Red Bull 动力单元，但其他方面却大相径庭。

“他们的驾驶方式，车辆的平衡性都非常非常不同。所以，简单来说，这是一辆驾驶体验截然不同的车。我通过方向盘获得的反馈，所有的一切，它的感觉，它的行驶方式，都非常不同。”

维斯塔潘在家乡比赛中身体不适，但据报道他现在已经恢复健康。他去年在蒙扎赛道赢得了比赛，但红牛车队在最新的积分榜上仅排名第四。

（艾伦·鲍德温报道）

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