Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar is on pace to return this week, but he has to pass a final test.
Since suffering a wrist injury during the summer break, Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar has missed three straight race weekends. But here's a piece of good news: recent reports say that the French driver could finally make his return when F1 visits Baku for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
However, Hadjar still needs to complete an assessment on Red Bull's simulator. In an effort to find out how well his wrist has recovered, the team wants to see him simulate the almost-realistic feel of racing in an F1 car.
If Hadjar cleanly gets through the simulator assessment, along with the three practice sessions on Thursday and Friday, look for him to finally race on Saturday.
What's the realistic expectation for Hadjar at Baku?
Before the summer break, Hadjar was consistently scoring good points for Red Bull. In his last seven races (from Canada to Hungary), Hadjar finished at least sixth place, scoring a total of 67 points during that span. That includes a spectacular podium finish during the Monaco Grand Prix.
He should be able to replicate that feat, especially with the Red Bull car seemingly on pace with the front-running teams. When he didn't DNF twice, Max Verstappen has put the RB26 on the podium in the last seven races.
This could mean that Red Bull has a fast car underneath. If Hadjar is indeed fully healthy, he can put that car to at least a P6 finish again.
Is Hadjar feeling some pressure?
For himself, the Frenchman might be feeling the pressure of returning to his excellent pre-injury form. The freak injury surely frustrated him, and he must be itching so much to get back to his Red Bull seat.
And then there's the fact that Liam Lawson did a decent job filling in for the injured Hadjar. He scored twice in his three races with the team, showing his ability to quickly adapt to a new car.
If Lawson can slot himself into a new car and finish at least P7 twice, Hadjar would want to do better than that.
The thing is, the streets of Baku could be stressful for the wrists of a driver. The combination of a long, high-speed straight followed by a twisty castle section with slow, technical corners requires sharp direction changes. It's harder on the wrists than a flowing circuit like Silverstone or Suzuka.
That's why Red Bull wants Hadjar to pass the simulator test first, before he fully returns to the main grid.
