Isack Hadjar Set for F1 Return with Red Bull

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar is to return to Formula 1 at this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, following the wrist injury he sustained in the summer.

Hadjar stepped up to Red Bull for 2026, having impressed during his rookie campaign at Racing Bulls, and was on a run of seven straight top six finishes prior to the summer recess.

That included a podium result in Monaco, which Hadjar was re-awarded retrospectively earlier this month after the International Court of Appeal re-applied Pierre Gasly’s time penalties.

Isack Hadjar injured his wrist while training during the August break.

Hadjar suffered a wrist injury while boxing during the summer recess and was ruled out of action on a race-by-race basis.

Red Bull was cautious for Hadjar not to rush his return, and the Frenchman heeded the advice, having also conversed with MotoGP legend and injury-hit Marc Marquez in the interim.

Hadjar was replaced at Red Bull by Liam Lawson, who finished seventh at Zandvoort and sixth at the Madring, either side of a low-key display at Monza.

Lawson in turn was substituted by Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, and he scored a point at Monza.

Lawson will now return to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda resuming his role as reserve driver.

Tsunoda’s prospects of returning to Formula 1 full-time appear slim, with Hadjar expected to remain at Red Bull into 2027, while Racing Bulls have indicated they will retain Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.

Lindblad, 19, has enjoyed a strong rookie campaign in Formula 1, while Lawson was the top-scoring midfielder even before his trio of Red Bull outings.

Red Bull also has Nikola Tsolov on its books as the Bulgarian strives to stake his claim for 2027.

Tsolov currently leads the Formula 2 championship, having taken six wins, but inconsistency has cost him and he heads to this weekend’s bumper Baku round with his title advantage having been trimmed.

U.K.-based Phillip Horton started covering Grands Prix while still at university and swiftly deemed that writing about Formula 1 and the behind-the-scenes machinations was much more engaging than reading centuries-old novels. Degree gained, he went on to cover the sport full-time from 2014 and is as intrigued and excited by the destinations Formula 1 visits during its lengthy annual world tour as the racing itself. Phillip joined Autoweek in 2021 and while he has just about learned to spell in American English he has yet to find anywhere in America that makes a proper cup of tea.