Isack Hadjar Returns to Red Bull for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Isack Hadjar will climb back into a Red Bull cockpit in Baku this week, cleared to race after a wrist injury sidelined him for three grands prix and briefly opened the door for Liam Lawson.

The 21-year-old Frenchman, a rising name in the Red Bull stable, missed the rounds in the Netherlands, Monza and Madrid after damaging his wrist while boxing. The team confirmed he has made a “full recovery” and will return for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held from 24-26 September on the unforgiving streets of Baku.

His comeback ends Lawson’s short but eye-catching stint in the senior team. Thrown in at Zandvoort with little notice, the 24-year-old New Zealander responded with seventh place in the Netherlands and sixth in Madrid, underlining his readiness at the top level. Monza was the outlier: 14th at the flag and no points on a weekend where the car never truly came alive.

Red Bull acknowledged the scale of his task and his response to it. The team praised Lawson’s “professionalism, dedication and hard work over the past three races,” noting that he “delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team” after stepping in under “challenging circumstances”.

The pressure now swings back to Hadjar. He returns to partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen, slotting back into a car capable of heavy points on a circuit that punishes even the smallest lapse in concentration. Before his injury, Hadjar had pieced together a solid campaign, sitting eighth in the drivers’ standings with 71 points.

For Lawson, the story doesn’t end here. With Hadjar reinstated, he heads back to Red Bull’s junior outfit, Racing Bulls, his brief run at the front of the grid now part of his audition tape for a full-time seat.

Baku will tell the next part of the tale: can Hadjar pick up his season where he left off, or has Lawson’s cameo turned up the temperature on Red Bull’s long-term plans?