Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says they will continue to prioritise Isack Hadjar’s recovery over rushing his return from injury, with evaluations planned before a call on whether he races at next week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hadjar has missed the last three races after sustaining a wrist injury during routine training ahead of the sport’s return to action from its summer break. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson has stood in for him.
Speaking after last Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, Mekies said Hadjar’s recovery was going to plan, with a simulator session planned to help assess his readiness for any return to action in Baku.
“There is nothing wrong with Isack’s recovery. I think we have learned that it’s fundamentally a normal time for the sort of injuries he has,” said Mekies
“So, we will continue with the same approach and what we have.
“We will evaluate the situation in a week’s time.
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“We have a full week, a bit more than a full week, to evaluate situations, to see how he feels and then to put him on the simulator, to expose him to real-life constraints.
“And if he feels close to 100 per cent, we go for it. If he feels the recovery is not completed, we will stick to our approach to put his recovery first.
“What we don’t want to do is, by having an early return, compromise his long-term capacity to come back to 100 per cent.”
The Azerbaijan GP, held on a street circuit in Baku, is the first round of a triple header with races in Malaysia and Singapore following on the subsequent two weekends.
Red Bull pleased with Lawson’s ‘very good’ stand-in performances
Lawson has stepped up from sister Racing Bulls to cover for Hadjar, with the New Zealander returning to a seat he briefly held in an ill-fated two-race stint at the start of last season. Yuki Tsunoda has been driving for Racing Bulls.
Lawson has twice qualified eighth and scored points at both Zandvoort and Madrid, where he was sixth.
“I think he’s done a very good job,” said Mekies.
“I think we all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.
“He has taken some very important points [in Madrid] with the P6. He did the same in Zandvoort, and in Monza he would have done something similar without the contact with Nico [Hulkenberg] and the damage.
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“So, I think he did a very good job. Again, very different pictures compared to the first races of 2025 when he was in the team, so we are thankful and happy with that.”
Lawson has rebuilt his form and confidence at Racing Bulls over the past year and was already enjoying a consistent points-scoring season before his unexpected temporary senior Red Bull return.
“I think he has continued to grow as a driver,” added Mekies, who has worked with Lawson at both Red Bull teams. “He’s very calm in the car; he’s very focused.
“He’s certainly making… I don’t know if he makes an effort or not [to do it], but he’s certainly managed to keep things simple in the way he tracks with the team and in the way he tackles his own performance and the car performance.
“So, he’s focused on the essentials; he tries to get the basics right, and it’s working for him. Of course, with more time in the car, you can then get to another degree of finesse, maybe.
“But I think that, of course, is very, very strong.”
Racing on a Saturday! The F1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races from September 24-26, with the Baku race taking place on a Saturday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime