Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekhié emphasised that the French driver Isack Hadjar's rehabilitation will remain the top priority, and the squad will not rush him back onto the grid. The team plans to assess his condition during the upcoming week before deciding if he can compete in next weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hadjar has been absent from the last three rounds after injuring his wrist in a routine training session that took place as Formula One emerged from its summer hiatus. In his stead, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson has taken over the seat, giving the New Zealander another opportunity to showcase his talent. After the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, Mekhié provided an update, stating that Hadjar's recovery is progressing exactly as expected.

The team intends to run a simulator session to gauge how the young driver handles the car's dynamics under realistic constraints, which will help determine whether he is fit enough for the street circuit in Baku. "There is nothing wrong with Isack's recovery. I think we have learned that it's fundamentally a normal time for the sort of injuries he has," Mekhié said. "So, we will continue with the same approach and what we have.

We will evaluate the situation in a week's time." He added that the team has a little more than a full week to monitor Hadjar's progress, observe how he feels, and then put him through a simulator program that mimics the physical stresses of a real race weekend. "If he feels close to 100 per cent, we go for it. If he feels the recovery is not completed, we will stick to our approach to put his recovery first.

What we don't want to do is, by having an early return, compromise his long‑term capacity to come back to 100 per cent." The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held on Baku's demanding street circuit, will start a day earlier than usual, with practice scheduled for Wednesday and the race on Saturday. This event kicks off a three‑race sprint that will continue with Malaysia and Singapore over the following two weekends.

Lawson, who stepped up from the sister team Racing Bulls, is back in a seat he briefly occupied at the start of the previous season during a short‑lived two‑race stint. Yuki Tsunoda continues to drive for Racing Bulls.

Lawson has already delivered solid performances, qualifying eighth on two occasions and scoring points at both Zandvoort and the Madrid circuit, where he finished sixth. "I think he's done a very good job," Mekhié praised. "We all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.

He has taken some very important points in Madrid with a P6. He did the same in Zandvoort, and in Monza he would have done something similar without the contact with Nico Hulkenberg and the damage. So, I think he did a very good job.

Again, very different pictures compared to the first races of 2025 when he was in the team, so we are thankful and happy with that." Over the past year, Lawson has rebuilt his confidence and form at Racing Bulls, enjoying a consistent points‑scoring run before his unexpected call‑up to the senior Red Bull outfit. Mekhié noted, "I think he has continued to grow as a driver. He's very calm in the car; he's very focused.

He's certainly making... I don't know if he makes an effort or not, but he's certainly managed to keep things simple in the way he tracks with the team and in the way he tackles his own performance and the car performance. So, he's focused on the essentials; he tries to get the basics right, and it's working for him. Of course, with more time in the car, you can then get to another degree of finesse, maybe.

But I think that, of course, is very, very strong." The decision on Hadjar will hinge on the data gathered from his simulator work and his own feedback during the evaluation period. Red Bull's medical team will continue to monitor his wrist strength, flexibility, and any lingering pain, ensuring that any return to racing does not jeopardise his long‑term health or performance. If Hadjar is cleared, he could make his comeback on the tight, high‑speed Baku layout, a circuit that tests both driver skill and car reliability.

If not, Lawson will likely continue to fill the seat, providing him with valuable exposure to the Red Bull Racing environment and the chance to further prove his adaptability. Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marking the start of the September triple‑header that runs from the 24th to the 26th. The race will be streamed via NOW, offering a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time.