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 sustained 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 sit out the Dutch, Italian and now Spanish rounds of the championship. In Hadjar's place, Liam Lawson will step back into the Red Bull seat for a third consecutive race, partnering Max Verstappen once again.
Lawson, who previously filled the role at Zandvoort and Monza, has been praised for his quick adaptation to the Red Bull car. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the Racing Bulls squad for the weekend.
Red Bull released an official 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 performance this season has shown promise.
At Zandvoort he qualified only a tenth slower than Verstappen and finished the race in seventh place, a marked improvement over his earlier outings at the start of 2025 when he was replaced after two races. In Monza, Lawson was eliminated in Q2 after being hindered by Oscar Piastri on his fastest lap.
He started the race from the pit lane due to engine penalties, then made contact with Audi's Nico Hulkenberg during an early standing‑restart, which necessitated a front‑wing change. Despite those setbacks, he clawed his way back to 14th position while Verstappen secured a podium.
Yuki Tsunoda has also delivered solid results for Racing Bulls. He finished ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad in the Dutch Grand Prix and earned a point by finishing 10th at Monza.
The Monza result, however, may be subject to an appeal from Audi, who argue that an incident at the standing restart—where Tsunoda mistakenly pulled into the wrong grid slot, prompting an extra formation lap—affected the race outcome. The 26‑year‑old Tsunoda, who was released from Red Bull's junior programme last season, expressed optimism about his future ahead of the Italian round, saying he hopes to attract interest for a 2027 seat. "I'm free! Would love to hear those calls, but not yet," he remarked.
"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 weekend schedule is packed with support series action. On Thursday, September 10, the drivers' press conference will begin at 2 pm, followed by the Paddock Uncut at 5 pm.
Friday's program includes F3 practice at 8:50 am, F2 practice at 10 am, the first Spanish Grand Prix practice session at 12:30 pm, F2 qualifying at 12:55 pm, the team bosses' press conference at 2:40 pm, the second practice session at 4 pm, F3 qualifying at 5:20 pm and the F1 Show at 6:20 pm. Saturday, September 12, will feature the F3 sprint at 10 am, the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:30 am, the F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, the qualifying build‑up at 2:15 pm, the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying at 3 pm (also broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event), the F3 feature race at 4:55 pm and Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 6 pm. Sunday's schedule starts with the F3 feature race at 8:40 am, followed by the F2 feature race at 10:20 am, a Grand Prix build‑up at 12:30 pm, the main Spanish Grand Prix race at 2 pm, the chequered‑flag reaction at 4 pm and Ted's Notebook at 5 pm. The Spanish Grand Prix will be held at the newly built Madring circuit in Madrid, marking a return of Formula 1 to Spain after a brief hiatus.
All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to watch via NOW without a long‑term contract. Fans are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for the most accessible video player experience.
In summary, Hadjar's wrist injury continues to keep him out of the cockpit, giving Liam Lawson another opportunity to showcase his talent alongside Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Tsunoda aims to capitalize on his recent points finish to keep his Formula 1 aspirations alive, while the full weekend programme offers a rich mix of racing action across the support categories, culminating in a highly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix at the state‑of‑the‑art Madring venue.