Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Red Bull should retain Liam Lawson for next week's inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, warning the team against prematurely rushing Isack Hadjar back into the cockpit.
Lawson was called up at the last minute for the Dutch Grand Prix to replace Hadjar, who sustained a wrist injury during the summer break. As a result, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda stepped into Lawson's Racing Bulls seat alongside Arvid Lindblad.
With little preparation and only one practice session, the New Zealander impressed by closely matching Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen in qualifying. He went on to score six points with a seventh-place finish.
With Lawson continuing to deputise at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Montoya argued on F1 TV's Weekend Warm-Up that Red Bull would be wise to extend his stint for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
"Yuki showed the pace he had in the race, passing people, the aggression. I think everything that you wanted to see out of a driver. If you're looking for drivers in F1, he delivered. He did the job. He didn't make mistakes. He didn't put a wheel wrong, and it was really good to see," the former driver explained.
"With Liam, if I were Red Bull, especially going into Madrid next week, I would go, 'Hey, let's be smart. We're going to get a couple more weeks of recovery, and we'll prepare Liam properly for Madrid because it's a new track for everybody.'"
Lawson currently sits ninth in the drivers' standings with 49 points. Hadjar is eighth with 68 points and Verstappen sits sixth with 112 points. By comparison, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 242 points.
The Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid will take place from 11-13 September and will be the first time the grid arrives at the new Madring circuit.
Photos from Italian GP - Saturday
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