Isack Hadjar Returns to Red Bull for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Isack Hadjar will climb back into his Red Bull cockpit at this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, ending a three-race spell on the sidelines after a wrist injury suffered while boxing.

The 21-year-old Frenchman, one of the most highly rated youngsters in the Red Bull system, has been cleared to race and will return in Baku from 24-26 September. The team says he has made a “full recovery” and will immediately reclaim his seat from stand-in Liam Lawson.

For Lawson, it’s the end of a sharp, high-pressure audition at the very top. Thrown into the car for Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, the 24-year-old New Zealander handled the chaos with calm authority. He took seventh in the Netherlands, then sixth in Madrid, before a tougher afternoon at Monza left him 14th and outside the points.

Red Bull publicly acknowledged his impact, praising his professionalism, dedication and the way he adapted under “challenging circumstances”. Those three weekends have strengthened his reputation, even if they now lead him back to familiar territory: a return to Red Bull’s junior outfit, Racing Bulls.

Hadjar’s comeback drops him straight into the deep end. Baku is unforgiving, a street circuit that punishes even the slightest lapse, and he’ll be back alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen in one of the most scrutinised seats in the sport.

He doesn’t arrive cold. Despite the layoff, Hadjar sits eighth in the drivers’ standings with 71 points, a solid platform for a 21-year-old still learning the brutal rhythm of a full Formula 1 campaign.

Now the question is simple: with his wrist healed and his seat restored, can he turn a promising start into something that truly cements his place in Red Bull’s long-term plans?