Isack Hadjar will be absent from the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid as he continues his rehabilitation from a fractured wrist. The French driver sustained a hairline fracture in one of the bones of his wrist during a routine summer‑break workout that included a boxing session. The injury forced him to sit out the Dutch, Italian and now the Spanish rounds of the Formula 1 calendar. In Hadjar's place, Liam Lawson will step into the Red Bull seat for a third consecutive event, partnering Max Verstappen for the weekend.
Lawson, who has been shuffling between Red Bull's reserve line‑up and the Racing Bulls team, will take the wheel while Yuki Tsunoda remains with the Racing Bulls squad. Red Bull issued a statement confirming the driver change: "After competing for the team at Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to drive 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 shown promise. At Zandvoort he qualified only a tenth slower than Verstappen and finished the race in seventh place, a stark improvement compared with his two Red Bull outings at the start of the 2025 season, which saw him dropped from the programme. In Monza, Lawson was eliminated in Q2 after being hindered by Oscar Piastri on his best lap.
He started the race from the pit lane due to an engine penalty, then made contact with Audi's Nico Hülkenberg during the early standing‑restart, necessitating a front‑wing change. Despite the setback, he fought back to finish 14th, while Verstappen secured a podium finish. Yuki Tsunoda has also delivered solid results for the Racing Bulls.
He finished ahead of his teammate Arvid Lindblad at 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 Tsunoda entered the wrong grid slot during the standing restart, prompting an additional formation lap. The 26‑year‑old Tsunoda, who was released by Red Bull last season, expressed optimism about his future prospects ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, saying he hopes to attract interest for a seat on the grid in 2027. "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 schedule is packed with action across the Formula 1 support categories.
Thursday, September 10, will feature a Drivers' Press Conference at 2 pm followed by a Paddock Uncut session at 5 pm. Friday, September 11, includes F3 practice at 8:50 am, F2 practice at 10 am, the first Spanish GP practice session at 12 pm (starting at 12:30 pm), F2 qualifying at 12:55 pm, a Team Bosses' Press Conference at 2:40 pm, the second practice session at 3:45 pm (starting at 4 pm), F3 qualifying at 5:20 pm, and the F1 Show at 6:20 pm. Saturday, September 12, sees the F3 sprint at 10 am, the third Spanish GP practice session at 11 am (starting at 11:30 am), the F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, a build‑up to the Spanish GP qualifying at 2:15 pm, the qualifying itself at 3 pm (also broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event), the F3 Feature Race 1 at 4:55 pm, and Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 6 pm. Sunday, September 13, will conclude the weekend with the F3 Feature Race 2 at 8:40 am, the F2 Feature Race at 10:20 am, a Grand Prix Sunday build‑up at 12:30 pm, the main Spanish Grand Prix start at 2 pm, the chequered flag and post‑race reaction at 4 pm, and Ted's Notebook at 5 pm.
The Spanish Grand Prix will take place at the newly built Madring circuit in Madrid, with all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday onward. Viewers can stream the coverage via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract and cancel at any time.