Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekane explained that the squad will keep Isack Hadjar's rehabilitation as the top priority, refusing to accelerate his comeback simply to fill a grid slot. The organization has scheduled a series of assessments, including a simulator run, before deciding whether the French driver will take part in next weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hadjar has been absent from the paddock for three consecutive events after he suffered a wrist injury during a routine training session that took place just before the sport resumed following its summer hiatus. In his stead, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson stepped up to the Red Bull seat, providing the team with a capable stand‑in while Hadjar continues his recovery. After the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, Mekane addressed the media and confirmed that Hadjar's healing trajectory is proceeding as expected. He added that a dedicated simulator session is slated for the coming days, which will help the engineers gauge the young driver's readiness for a potential return at the Baku street circuit.
"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," Mekane said.
"So we will continue with the same approach and what we have. We will evaluate the situation in a week's time." He emphasized that the team now has a little more than a week to monitor how Hadjar feels, to run him through the simulator and to expose him to realistic track constraints. "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, contested on the demanding Baku street circuit, will start a day earlier than usual, with practice scheduled for Wednesday and the race on Saturday. This event marks the opening round of a three‑race sprint that will continue with races in Malaysia and Singapore over the following two weekends. Lawson, who previously drove for the sister team Racing Bulls, has been filling Hadjar's seat. He briefly appeared in a senior Red Bull car at the start of the previous season, a stint that was cut short after just two races.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda continues to race for Racing Bulls. Lawson's performance in the interim has been commendable. He has qualified eighth on two occasions and has collected points at both Zandvoort and Madrid, where he finished sixth.
"I think he's done a very good job," Mekane remarked. "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." The team principal added that Lawson's recent form and confidence have risen steadily during his time with Racing Bulls, and that his unexpected temporary promotion to the senior Red Bull seat has only reinforced his development.
"I think he has continued to grow as a driver," Mekane said. "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." Mekane highlighted Lawson's methodical approach: "He focuses 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." Looking ahead, the Red Bull camp will use the upcoming week to gather data from Hadjar's simulator runs, medical scans, and his own feedback. The decision will balance the desire to have a full‑strength lineup against the risk of aggravating the wrist injury, which could jeopardise the driver's long‑term performance.
Fans can follow the live action on Sky Sports F1, where the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will kick off the triple‑header series from September 24‑26. The race will be streamed via NOW, with flexible subscription options that allow cancellation at any time.
The team hopes that, whether Hadjar returns or not, the performance of Lawson and the rest of the Red Bull stable will keep the championship battle exciting throughout the final stretch of the season.