Isack Hadjar misses this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a wrist injury during a gym session last week. According to Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer, Red Bull’s sister team was informed on Friday of a potential driver change, with the situation developing further on Tuesday.
That was when Yuki Tsunoda was called up – having been on a beach in Greece when he was asked to step in – while Liam Lawson was handed another opportunity at Red Bull following his demotion after the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix.
While the situation naturally presents opportunities for both drivers, it is highly frustrating for Hadjar, who nevertheless made an appearance in the Zandvoort paddock on Friday morning.
Hadjar claimed his maiden F1 podium in the Netherlands last year and had planned to reference that achievement with a playful nod in a special helmet design this year.
Red Bull and Marquez in agreement: Take your time to recover
Hadjar – as you might expect from any athlete – wanted to go racing again straight away, but he has been advised by two different parties not to take any risks and to sit out the Dutch GP.
First of all, that message came from Red Bull. Laurent Mekies confirmed that his team did not want to take any risks with Max Verstappen’s team-mate, who has performed surprisingly well this year.
Hadjar had planned a special helmet design for this weekend, inspired by Delft blue pottery and his broken trophy from last year
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“Isack is alright,” Mekies told the official F1 website. “We have no reason to take any risk with him. He has done a fantastic start of the season, he has been stronger and stronger every time he has been driving this car out of the garage, session after session, weekend after weekend.
“We take zero risk, we let him sort out the recovery this weekend, and hopefully we’ll have him very, very quickly [back] in the car.”
The advice to skip Zandvoort also came from another, more surprising source: seven-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez.
The Ducati rider and Hadjar share the same physiotherapist, Carlos J. Garcia. Hadjar called Marquez after sustaining the wrist injury, with the Spaniard advising him not to rush his return.
The rider currently fourth in the MotoGP standings also urged Hadjar not to rush into certain medical procedures, given that the Frenchman is still young and has a long F1 career ahead of him.
Marquez therefore felt that taking his time and recovering properly was the most sensible approach for Hadjar, which is exactly what Red Bull had already told the youngster.
Marquez himself has plenty of first-hand experience when it comes to injuries. The MotoGP icon has, among other things, broken his right upper arm and right thumb, dislocated both shoulders and suffered from diplopia.
Marquez is known for returning quickly after injury, but advised Hadjar to do the opposite
Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media via Getty Images
When can Hadjar return for Red Bull?
The key question, of course, is when Hadjar will be able to return behind the wheel of the RB22.
When asked by Autosport, Red Bull said it is still too early to provide an official update on that, although the plan is to have him back in the car at Monza for the Italian GP in two weeks’ time.
“It’s too early to say that definitely, but it’s our target to have him back in Monza,” Mekies told Sky Sports Germany.
The Italian GP will take place on the weekend of 4-6 September. Although the iconic circuit in Monza’s park is certainly not the most physically demanding track on the calendar, the Spanish GP at the new Madring follows just one week later.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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