Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekhiés emphasized that the squad will keep Isack Hadjar's rehabilitation as the top priority, refusing to accelerate his comeback before he is fully ready. The organization plans a series of assessments in the coming days to decide whether the French driver will be fit enough to compete at next weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Hadjar has been absent from the grid for three consecutive events after suffering a wrist injury during a routine training session that took place just before the sport resumed after its summer hiatus.

In his place, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson stepped into the Red Bull seat and has been handling the duties of the senior team. Mekhiés spoke after the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, noting that the recovery process is proceeding according to schedule. He added that a simulator run is slated for the near future to gauge Hadjar's readiness for a possible return 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," Mekhiés said. "So we will continue with the same approach and what we have.

We will evaluate the situation in a week's time." He explained that the team now has just over a week to monitor the Frenchman's condition, observe how he feels, and then place him in the simulator to expose him to realistic 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 will be contested on Baku's street circuit and, unusually, will start a day earlier than usual, with practice scheduled for the upcoming Wednesday and the race on Saturday. This event kicks off a three‑weekend sprint of races, followed by events in Malaysia and Singapore the next two weekends.

Lawson, who was promoted from sister team Racing Bulls, has taken over Hadjar's duties. The New Zealander previously filled a brief two‑race stint at the start of the previous season, and Yuki Tsunoda has been driving for Racing Bulls in the meantime. Since stepping into the senior seat, Lawson has twice qualified in eighth place and has collected points at both Zandvoort and the Spanish round in Madrid, where he finished sixth.

"I think he's done a very good job," Mekhiés 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 the 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." Lawson has rebuilt his form and confidence at Racing Bulls over the past year and was already enjoying a consistent points‑scoring season before his unexpected temporary promotion to the senior Red Bull seat.

"I think he has continued to grow as a driver," Mekhiés added, noting his long‑standing collaboration with Lawson at both Red Bull outfits. "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 upcoming race weekend will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as the opening act of a triple‑header that runs from September 24 to 26. Viewers can stream the coverage via NOW, with no long‑term contract required and the option to cancel at any time.