Isack Hadjar returns for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after wrist injury and signs Red Bull contract extension through 2027

Isack Hadjar will return to the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after missing the previous three rounds with a wrist injury. The Racing Bulls driver said he believes he is ready to take on the Baku City Circuit following recovery from a small fracture on the outside of his wrist, while acknowledging the injury is still painful.

Hadjar’s absence from racing came when Liam Lawson stepped in at the top team for the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. The French driver used the time to heal after sustaining the fracture during summer training, and he described a rehabilitation process that did not require surgery. He told media in Baku that the setback remains “still going to be painful for a while,” even as he said it was approaching the six-week mark and he had completed a sim test that went well.

With Hadjar’s return coinciding with the announcement of his contract extension, he will continue alongside Max Verstappen as Red Bull’s plan targets a return to title contention. Hadjar said it was “good to have [the contract] announced now,” and he added, “It’s good to come back in these conditions, for sure,” describing a long layoff since he last drove, which he said was in Budapest.

Looking ahead to next season, Hadjar framed the extension as confirmation rather than a distraction, saying it is “nice” to know where he will race and that his focus remains on performance. He also explained that while training during his recovery had been difficult because he was doing “basically nothing with the left limb,” he expects the adrenaline of racing to help once he is fully back in the cockpit.

Written by Vancouver Television Sports Desk