Hadjar Misses Another Grand Prix as Lawson Continues with Red Bull

Isack Hadjar’s wait to race for Red Bull goes on. The Frenchman will miss a third consecutive Grand Prix as he continues to recover from a fractured wrist, ruling him out of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

His absence hands Liam Lawson another chance. The New Zealander stays alongside Max Verstappen for a third straight race, with Yuki Tsunoda continuing at Racing Bulls.

Hadjar picked up a hairline fracture in his wrist during the summer break in what should have been a routine boxing workout. Instead, it has cost him the Dutch, Italian and now Spanish rounds, just as he appeared on the brink of a sustained run in the car.

Red Bull confirmed the call in a statement, stressing that Hadjar’s recovery is “progressing positively” but that he is “not yet ready to return to the cockpit”. He will still travel to Madrid to support the team from the garage, a reminder that the long‑term plan has not changed even if the short‑term opportunity has.

For Lawson, it is another high‑stakes audition.

Lawson’s second act

Lawson’s return to Red Bull colours at Zandvoort jolted the paddock. He qualified just a tenth of a second behind Verstappen on one of the Dutchman’s strongest circuits and converted that speed into seventh place in the race. It was a stark contrast to his two early‑2025 outings with the team, which ended with him being dropped and shuffled out of the frame.

The momentum stalled at Monza. Lawson was knocked out in Q2 after being impeded by Oscar Piastri on his best lap. Any chance of a charge through the field then took a hit before lights out: engine penalties sent him to a pit‑lane start. Contact with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg at an early standing restart forced a front‑wing change and left him fighting from the back again, salvaging only 14th while Verstappen headed for the podium.

Still, another weekend in the car, this time at a brand‑new Madrid layout, offers him more than just mileage. It offers evidence. Red Bull will be watching every lap.

Tsunoda steady under the radar

While the spotlight swings between Hadjar’s injury and Lawson’s opportunity, Tsunoda has quietly stitched together two composed weekends for Racing Bulls.

At Zandvoort, he finished just ahead of team‑mate Arvid Lindblad. At Monza, he turned a chaotic afternoon into a point, grabbing 10th place and more valuable returns for a driver who was cut loose by Red Bull only last season.

That result, though, is not entirely safe. Audi look set to appeal over Tsunoda’s role in the Monza standing restart, when he lined up in the wrong grid slot and triggered an extra formation lap. The outcome of that challenge could yet tweak the final classification, but it does not change the impression Tsunoda has been making in the cockpit.

Off track, the 26‑year‑old has been open about his future. Before the Italian Grand Prix he spoke of his hope of earning another shot on the grid in 2027, saying he is “free” and ready to listen to offers, while acknowledging how hard it is to secure a seat in modern F1. His recent form is his best argument.

Madrid awaits

The Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid brings a fresh circuit, a packed schedule and a reshuffled cast. Verstappen goes in as the constant. Around him, Lawson fights to turn a temporary call‑up into something more permanent, Tsunoda races with a point to prove and a result under review, and Hadjar watches from the sidelines, waiting for the all‑clear on that wrist.

For one driver, this weekend is about recovery. For another, it might be about the rest of his career.