Isack Hadjar will return to Red Bull for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku after recovering from a wrist injury, as Liam Lawson moves back to Racing Bulls.
Hadjar had injured his wrist in training over the summer break and, following medical advice, was told to avoid driving to manage his recovery. Lawson thus deputised for the Frenchman at Red Bull, starting with the Dutch Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda stepping up from his reserve role to fill Lawson’s seat.
This lasted for three races as Hadjar prioritised his recovery, and Lawson thus stayed in the Red Bull seat for both the Italian and Spanish grands prix, with Tsunoda continuing to fill the Racing Bulls void.
Lawson scored 14 points in his three outings for Red Bull, with Monza the only scoreless round of the three as he took a series of power unit penalties – and then was forced to pit later after contact with Nico Hulkenberg broke part of his front wing. Tsunoda finished 10th in that race, although was close to scoring a point in Zandvoort before Pierre Gasly passed him for 10th late on in the race.
“The team would like to thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication, and hard work over the past three races,” read a statement from Red Bull. “Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team.”
Liam Lawson, Red Bull
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
Hadjar thus makes his first appearance at the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since July’s Hungarian Grand Prix, although managed to increase his seasonal points tally in that time when his Monaco Grand Prix third place was reinstated.
McLaren and Red Bull had successfully appealed against the post-race rescinding of Pierre Gasly’s two five-second penalties for speeding in the pitlane, moving Hadjar back up to the podium positions.
The Frenchman also sought advice from MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who suffered an arm fracture in 2020 – which worsened as he tried to return to competition prematurely, and the Spaniard has since required multiple surgeries on the same arm in the years since.
Marquez revealed that he told Hadjar: “I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life.”
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