Isack Hadjar will be absent from the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid as he continues his rehabilitation from a fractured wrist. The young French driver suffered a hairline fracture in one of the bones of his wrist during a routine boxing workout over the summer break.
The injury forced him to miss the Dutch, Italian and now Spanish rounds of the championship. In Hadjar's place, Liam Lawson will step into the Red Bull seat for a third consecutive race, partnering Max Verstappen once again. Lawson, who has been shuttling between the Red Bull junior programme and the senior team, will take over the duties while Yuki Tsunoda remains with the Racing Bulls squad. Red Bull released a statement confirming the driver change: "After competing for the team at Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to race alongside Max at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
The decision has been taken as Isack's recovery continues to progress positively. While he is not yet ready to return to the cockpit, he will be in Madrid supporting the team. Everyone at Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Isack back behind the wheel very soon." Lawson's recent performances have been a mixed bag.
At Zandvoort he qualified only a tenth slower than Verstappen but managed to finish the Dutch Grand Prix in seventh place, a respectable result that contrasted sharply with his earlier outings at the start of the 2025 season, when he was dropped after two races. In Monza, Lawson's qualifying run was halted in Q2 after he was impeded by Oscar Piastri on his final flying lap.
The race itself proved challenging: a pit‑lane start due to engine penalties, an early collision with Audi's Nico Hülkenberg during a standing‑start restart, and a forced front‑wing change all conspired to drop him to the back of the field. Despite the setbacks, Lawson clawed back to finish 14th, while Verstappen secured a podium finish. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, has been delivering solid performances for Racing Bulls. He finished a place ahead of his teammate Arvid Lindblad at the Dutch Grand Prix and earned a valuable point by finishing 10th at Monza.
That result, however, may be under threat as Audi plans to appeal a controversy that arose during the standing‑restart at Monza, where Tsunoda mistakenly pulled into the wrong grid slot, prompting an additional formation lap. The 26‑year‑old Japanese driver, who was let go by Red Bull at the end of last season, expressed optimism about his future ahead of the Italian round.
"I'm free! Would love to hear those calls, but not yet," he said. "It's good that things are going positive, at least.
Obviously, my primary target is to be in Formula 1. Let's see. In this world anything can happen.
At the same time, it's also knowing that it's not easy to have a seat." The Spanish Grand Prix weekend is packed with a full schedule of support series and media events. Thursday, September 10, will feature a drivers' press conference at 2 p.m., followed by the Paddock Uncut at 5 p.m. Friday, September 11, begins with an F3 practice session at 8:50 a.m., then an F2 practice at 10 a.m., and the first Spanish Grand Prix practice session at 12 p.m. (the session actually starts at 11:30 a.m.).
The day continues with F2 qualifying at 12:55 p.m., a team‑bosses press conference at 2:40 p.m., the second practice session at 3:45 p.m., F3 qualifying at 5:20 p.m., and the F1 Show at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, September 12, sees an F3 sprint at 10 a.m., the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11 a.m.
(starting at 11:30 a.m.), an F2 sprint at 1:10 p.m., the build‑up to Spanish Grand Prix qualifying at 2:15 p.m., the qualifying session itself at 3 p.m., followed by the F3 Feature Race 1 at 4:55 p.m. and Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 6 p.m. Sunday, September 13, will host the F3 Feature Race 2 at 8:40 a.m., the F2 feature race at 10:20 a.m., a Grand Prix Sunday build‑up at 12:30 p.m., the main Spanish Grand Prix at 2 p.m., the chequered‑flag reaction at 4 p.m., and Ted's Notebook at 5 p.m. The qualifying session will also be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event.
The race itself will take place at the newly built Madring circuit in Madrid, marking the first time Formula 1 has visited the Spanish capital since the event moved from Barcelona. All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can access the coverage via the NOW platform with a flexible, cancel‑anytime subscription. In summary, Hadjar's wrist fracture continues to keep him sidelined, giving Liam Lawson a valuable opportunity to gain more experience with the Red Bull team. Tsunoda is fighting for points with Racing Bulls, while the Spanish Grand Prix promises a busy weekend of racing action, support series competition, and extensive media coverage for fans worldwide.