Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso to start Italian GP from pitlane after parc fermé breach

Summary

After strong performances at Zandvoort, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda encountered a tough Monza weekend, leaving both with work to do in the race. Lawson will start from the back of the grid following an engine component change, while Alonso and Lawson will begin from the pitlane due to parc ferme rule breaches by Aston Martin and Red Bull. Additionally, Piastri was penalized three places for impeding Lawson during qualifying, meaning he will start sixth. Despite the setbacks, Lawson described Friday practice in Italy as 'productive' for Red Bull, even though neither he nor Verstappen challenged the front runners.

The Full Story

Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso will both begin the Italian Grand Prix from the pitlane after their teams were found to have breached parc fermé regulations. The Red Bull and Aston Martin drivers, respectively, will not take their original grid positions as a result of the infractions, altering the starting order for Sunday’s race.

Lawson, who had been set to start near the back of the grid due to a power unit change, was initially slated to line up in 13th place following qualifying. However, a three-place grid penalty was handed to Oscar Piastri for impeding Lawson during the qualifying session, moving Lawson up to 12th on the grid. Despite this, Red Bull’s breach of parc fermé rules meant Lawson will now start from the pitlane instead of his assigned grid slot [2][3].

The New Zealand driver had a challenging weekend at Monza, contrasting with his strong substitute performance at Zandvoort. Lawson entered the weekend aware that a power unit element change would send him to the back of the grid, prompting a focus on race setup during practice. He was also tasked with providing a tow for teammate Max Verstappen during qualifying, a role Isack Hadjar had executed effectively at Spa. Unfortunately, Lawson struggled to execute the plan, finishing 13th in Q2 and failing to reach Q3. His final qualifying run was compromised when Piastri blocked him at Turn 1, a moment Lawson described as “not ideal” and one that left him frustrated with the session’s execution [1][3].

Despite the setback, Lawson described Friday’s practice sessions as “productive,” noting that the team concentrated on long runs to prepare for race conditions. He finished fourth in the first practice session, just four-tenths off the top time, and twelfth in the second session, focusing on tyre management and race pace. Lawson acknowledged that while Red Bull was not yet challenging the leading teams at Monza, the day’s work provided valuable learning opportunities ahead of the race [4].

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso faces a similar penalty. Aston Martin also breached parc fermé rules, resulting in Alonso being relegated to a pitlane start. The specifics of Aston Martin’s breach have not been detailed, but the consequence is clear: Alonso will not take his original grid position, complicating his race strategy at a track where overtaking is possible but challenging [2].

Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate, qualified 17th but will start from 15th after penalties for other drivers reshuffled the grid. Tsunoda’s weekend has been difficult, with energy management challenges at Monza proving more complex than at Zandvoort, where he had impressed. His early exit in Q1 underscored the learning curve he faces this weekend [1].

Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s lead driver, also encountered difficulties during practice. He missed the first session, which was run by the team’s reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa, and struggled with bouncing and front wing damage in the second session. Red Bull’s technical team acknowledged the need to address these issues overnight to close the gap to the frontrunners, emphasizing that both one-lap pace and long-run performance require improvement at Monza [4].

The penalties and technical challenges for Red Bull and Aston Martin add an extra layer of complexity to the Italian Grand Prix. Starting from the pitlane means Lawson and Alonso must navigate traffic and rely on race strategy and overtaking to recover positions. For Lawson, this weekend represents a crucial opportunity to build on his promising debut appearances and strengthen his case for a full-time seat in 2027, especially with young talent like Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings [1].

As the teams finalize their preparations, all eyes will be on how Lawson and Alonso manage their pitlane starts and whether Red Bull can resolve its technical issues to mount a competitive race. The Italian Grand Prix promises to be a test of resilience and strategy for both drivers and teams as they seek to maximize their results despite the setbacks.