Isack Hadjar Returns to Formula 1 at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Isack Hadjar will return to the Formula 1 grid at this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Red Bull confirming the Frenchman has fully recovered from the wrist injury that sidelined him for the past three races.

The 21-year-old, one of the sharpest prospects in Red Bull’s talent pool, damaged his wrist while boxing and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Liam Lawson stepped in for the rounds in Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid.

Red Bull say Hadjar has made a “full recovery” and will be back in the car in Baku from 24-26 September, slotting back into his seat alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen on one of the calendar’s most unforgiving street circuits.

Lawson’s stand-in spell now comes to an end. The New Zealander, 24, handled the call-up with composure, banking seventh place at Zandvoort and sixth in Madrid, though Monza yielded only 14th and no points. His efforts did not go unnoticed inside Milton Keynes.

“The team would like to sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication and hard work over the past three races,” Red Bull said in a statement. “Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team.”

The appreciation is real, but so is the ruthlessness of the Red Bull system. With Hadjar fit again, Lawson now heads back to the junior outfit Racing Bulls, his cameo over, his long-term prospects still very much under scrutiny.

Hadjar returns with momentum of his own to protect. He sits eighth in the drivers’ standings on 71 points, a solid base in a tightly packed midfield and a platform he cannot afford to waste as the championship rolls into the streets of Baku, where careers can accelerate—or unravel—in a single weekend.