Isack Hadjar has recovered from his wrist injury and returns alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull from this week's Azerbaijan GP. Hurt while training during the summer break, he missed three races at Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, and Liam Lawson, who stood in for him, goes back to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda, who took Lawson's Racing Bulls seat, drops back to the reserve role.
What Red Bull announced
Oracle Red Bull Racing is pleased to welcome Isack back this weekend. Having successfully recovered from his wrist injury, Isack will be back on track at the Baku City Circuit on Thursday. We sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, commitment and hard work over the last three races. He stepped in under difficult circumstances, delivered impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team. We wish him well as he returns to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
According to the official Formula 1 website, Hadjar's last race was the Hungarian GP in July. This year's Azerbaijan GP has been brought forward a day, with practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday, to avoid Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day on 27 September, so Hadjar goes straight into competitive running from FP1 on Thursday. The statement carried no comment from Hadjar himself.
Lawson's three races: points twice
| Grand Prix | Lawson's result |
|---|---|
| Dutch GP (Zandvoort) | 7th |
| Italian GP (Monza) | No points |
| Spanish GP (Madrid) | 6th |
According to PlanetF1, Lawson scored points in two of his three races after being promoted from Racing Bulls: seventh at Zandvoort and sixth in Madrid. Red Bull acknowledged his performances but chose to restore its pre-injury line-up, and said nothing about Tsunoda's future beyond his return to the reserve role. During Hadjar's three-race absence, the seats at Red Bull's two teams each shifted one place, as below, and this week they go back to where they were.
| Seat | Up to Hungary | Zandvoort–Madrid | From Baku |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull second seat | Hadjar | Lawson | Hadjar |
| Racing Bulls | Lawson | Tsunoda | Lawson |
| Reserve | Tsunoda | - | Tsunoda |
Hadjar's numbers
According to PlanetF1, Hadjar is still eighth in the drivers' championship despite missing three races. Before the injury he had finished in the top six in seven consecutive races, including a career-best third in Monaco. A first race back from a wrist injury at Baku, a street circuit with the walls close by, is a demanding test, but the team says his recovery is complete. The first thing to watch on his return is how close Hadjar's lap times are to Verstappen's in Thursday practice.