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Red Bull casts doubt over Hadjar Madrid return

Speedcafe.com · Ben Waterworth · 2026-09-04T20:28:23+00:00 · nguồn gốc

The Frenchman missed the Dutch Grand Prix two weeks ago and is once again sitting out this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix after hurting his wrist while training during Formula 1’s summer break. Liam Lawson has deputised for Hadjar at Red Bull across both weekends, with Yuki Tsunoda moving across to Racing Bulls in place of the New Zealander. While the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid next weekend had emerged as the next possible target for Hadjar’s comeback, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has now conceded the turnaround may be too tight. “Madrid is a few days from now, so that’s tricky,” Mekies told French broadcaster Canal+ during practice at Monza. “We’ll re-evaluate his situation, but targeting Madrid probably is tricky,” “But we’re taking things one race at a time and we’re looking at it together in a more rational way. “Again, the priority, what will influence our decision, is being sure he returns at 100 percent and with zero risks for his future.” Hadjar had initially hoped to return at Monza after reporting encouraging progress with the injury during his recovery from Zandvoort. The 21-year-old said in a video posted to Red Bull’s social media accounts during the week that swelling had subsided and mobility was improving each day, but the team ultimately elected against putting him back in the car in Italy. View this post on Instagram Mekies said the team remained unwilling to accelerate the process simply to have Hadjar available for a particular race. “Isack is okay,” Mekies said. “He can’t drive now so, obviously, I’m not going to tell you he’s happy – because he’s not. “But the absolute priority is his recovery. We have no reason to take risks with it. “His season so far has been fantastic, he’s very young, he improves every time he drives the car, so it’s important for him to return when he’s 100 percent. “So we’ll take whatever time is required, trust his feeling and the doctors’ guidance, and give him the time he needs. “We’ll soon laugh about this, I’m sure.” Hadjar has also sought advice from reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez during his recovery. Marquez endured several years of complications following the arm injury he suffered at Jerez in 2020, having initially attempted to return to competition only days after surgery. The Spaniard revealed to the MotoGP website that Hadjar contacted him for guidance and said his own experience had shaped the advice he provided. “I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Missing, or worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life,” Marquez said. “My life changed a lot since the Jerez injury. So yeah, I just tried to give that advice to Hadjar, and I think he took the correct decision because he has a long career in front [of him].” Hadjar’s continued absence has handed Lawson an extended opportunity back at Red Bull following his strong showing at Zandvoort. Lawson qualified eighth and finished seventh on his return to the senior team before being retained alongside Max Verstappen for Monza. Should Hadjar again be ruled out for Madrid, the same driver reshuffle would remain the obvious option, with Lawson continuing at Red Bull and Tsunoda remaining alongside Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls.