Isack Hadjar will be absent from the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid as he continues his rehabilitation following a fractured wrist. The young French driver, who has been sidelined since the Dutch round, will miss yet another race, extending his time away from the cockpit.
Red Bull has confirmed that Liam Lawson will step in for Hadjar for a third consecutive event, partnering Max Verstappen once again for the weekend. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the Racing Bulls squad, hoping to build on his recent performances. The injury originated during the summer break when Hadjar participated in a routine fitness session that included a boxing workout.
A mis‑judged punch resulted in a hairline fracture in one of the bones of his wrist. The fracture forced him to sit out the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and now the Spanish round at the newly built Madring circuit.
In a statement released by Red Bull, the team explained: "After competing at Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to race alongside Max at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. The decision reflects Isack's ongoing recovery, which is progressing well, but he is not yet fit to return to the car. He will be present in the paddock to support the crew and will re‑join the seat as soon as his wrist is fully healed. Everyone at Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Isack back behind the wheel very soon." Lawson's recent outings have shown a marked improvement.
At Zandvoort, he qualified just one-tenth of a second slower than Verstappen and finished the race in seventh place – a stark contrast to his two early‑season Red Bull appearances in 2025, after which he was replaced. In Monza, Lawson's qualifying run was halted in Q2 after being impeded by Oscar Piastri on his fastest lap. The race itself began from the pit lane due to an engine‑related penalty, and an early collision with Audi's Nico Hülkenberg during a standing‑start restart required a front‑wing change. Despite these setbacks, Lawson fought back to finish 14th, while Verstappen secured a podium spot.
Yuki Tsunoda, driving for the Racing Bulls, has delivered two consistent weekends. He finished ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad at the Dutch Grand Prix and earned a valuable point by finishing 10th at Monza. The Monza result, however, may be contested by Audi, who plan to appeal after an incident at the standing restart where Tsunoda mistakenly entered the wrong grid slot, prompting an additional formation lap. The 26‑year‑old Tsunoda, who was released from Red Bull's junior programme last season, expressed optimism ahead of the Italian race, hoping his performances could attract a seat for the 2027 season.
"I'm free! I would love to hear any offers, but nothing concrete yet," he said. "It's encouraging that things are moving in a positive direction.
My main goal remains to secure a drive in Formula 1. In this sport, anything can happen, but we all know how challenging it is to land a seat." The weekend's schedule is packed with action across the support categories.
On Thursday, September 10, the drivers' press conference will commence at 2 p.m., followed by the Paddock Uncut at 5 p.m. Friday's programme includes F3 practice at 8:50 a.m., F2 practice at 10 a.m., and the first Spanish Grand Prix practice session starting at 12:30 p.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, will feature the F3 sprint at 10 a.m., the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:30 a.m., the F2 sprint at 1:10 p.m., and the build‑up to the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying at 2:15 p.m.
Qualifying itself is slated for 3 p.m., followed by the F3 Feature Race 1 at 4:55 p.m., and the popular "Ted's Qualifying Notebook" segment at 6 p.m. Sunday, September 13, will see the F3 Feature Race 2 at 8:40 a.m., the F2 Feature Race at 10:20 a.m., and the final build‑up to the main event at 12:30 p.m.
The Spanish Grand Prix will start at 2 p.m., with the chequered flag and post‑race reaction at 4 p.m., and concluding with "Ted's Notebook" at 5 p.m. The qualifying session will also be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event. Formula 1 returns to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the state‑of‑the‑art Madring circuit, with every session streamed live from Friday onward on Sky Sports F1. Viewers can access the coverage via the NOW platform, which offers a flexible, contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time.