Isack Hadjar Returns to Red Bull for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Isack Hadjar will climb back into a Red Bull this weekend in Baku, cleared to race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a fractured wrist sidelined him for a month at a crucial stage of the season.

The Frenchman’s injury, picked up not in some high-speed shunt but during a gym session in the summer break, came at the worst possible time. It ruled him out of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and then the following rounds in Italy and Spain, as Red Bull shut down any thought of rushing his recovery.

The team chose caution. Hadjar simply couldn’t drive with the damage, and Red Bull were not prepared to gamble on their young driver’s long‑term fitness for the sake of a quick return.

Now he is back, and hungry.

Hadjar admitted the enforced break cut deep. “The last month has been tricky for me; it's the first time in my life that I've not been racing and that's a weird feeling to get used to,” he said, describing the frustration of watching others do the thing that has defined his life.

That makes Baku more than just another race. It is a restart.

He spoke of being “just so excited to get back into my car” and underlined how brutal the Azerbaijan street circuit can be for anyone who is even slightly underprepared. In his words, it is a track “you need to be locked in for from the very start of the weekend” – no time to play yourself in, no margin for a tentative first practice.

Hadjar also reserved special thanks for team principal Laurent Mekies and the Red Bull camp for holding the line while he healed properly, stressing “it was important not to rush the decision” and that he now feels ready to get back to what he does best – driving.

Lawson shines in stand‑in role

While Hadjar recovered, Liam Lawson seized his unexpected chance in the main Red Bull team and reminded the paddock of his quality.

The New Zealander delivered immediately, finishing seventh at Zandvoort and backing that up with sixth place in Spain. Those results were no freebies; they were earned in the thick of competitive midfield battles that demanded composure and race craft.

Monza told a harsher story. An engine penalty dumped Lawson at the back of the grid, and any hope of a recovery drive vanished when contact with Nico Hulkenberg left him with a damaged front wing. The race unravelled from there.

Even so, Lawson’s verdict on his three‑race stint was upbeat. “It's been overall quite positive,” he said. “I managed to score in two of the three. I think Monza was tough just with the whole layout of the weekend, and then the engine penalty. Then obviously having damage in the race really ruined it for us. But I think overall we've had good speed.”

For a driver who had endured a bruising spell at the start of 2025 – dropped by the team after only two races – this run mattered. It rebuilt stock, restored confidence and showed he can still deliver when the call comes.

With Hadjar now back, Lawson heads to familiar ground again, returning to Racing Bulls.

Tsunoda steps back after brief Racing Bulls cameo

Lawson’s move back to Racing Bulls means the dominoes fall again. Yuki Tsunoda, who had been drafted in as Lawson’s temporary replacement, will revert to his usual role as reserve driver.

Tsunoda did not waste his short window. He adapted quickly to the demands of the 2026‑spec F1 machinery and grabbed a point for Racing Bulls at the Italian Grand Prix, a neat piece of work in a field where minor errors are punished instantly.

That point is not fully banked yet. Audi have lodged an appeal over a grid formation issue following an early red flag, leaving the final classification from Monza under scrutiny.

So the picture resets: Hadjar back in the Red Bull, Lawson restored to Racing Bulls, Tsunoda watching and waiting again.

Baku’s walls are unforgiving, the margins thin. For Hadjar, there could be no sharper test of whether that wrist – and his rhythm – are truly ready for the fight.