The Red Bull director confirms that the Frenchman's evolution is normal and rules out setbacks, but avoids setting a date for his return. The team will evaluate his condition in a week and will only put him in the car if he is one hundred percent.
Red Bull is in no hurry with Isack Hadjar. Laurent Mekies, director of the Austrian team, has offered an update on the condition of the French driver, who missed the Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid rounds after injuring his wrist during the summer break. Far from showing concern, Mekies confirmed that the recovery is progressing as expected and that there have been no setbacks in the process: "Isack is fine, there is nothing wrong with his recovery. We have learned that it is a fundamentally normal time for the type of injury he has" declared the French executive after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hadjar's absence has forced Red Bull to reconfigure its lineup. Liam Lawson, who began the season as a Racing Bulls driver, has taken his seat in the main team, while Yuki Tsunoda has returned to the sister team to cover the gap left by the New Zealander, both have performed well in difficult circumstances, scoring points and maintaining the competitive level of the structure.
However, the immediate future remains an unknown. Mekies explained that the team will follow the same approach it has applied so far, evaluating the situation week by week: "We have a full week, more than a week, to evaluate the situation and see how he feels and then put him in the simulator, expose him to the limitations of real life. If he feels close to one hundred percent we go for it, if he feels the recovery is not complete, we will maintain our approach of putting his recovery first" he explained.
The team's priority is clear, to avoid a premature return that compromises Hadjar's ability to perform at his best in the long term: "What we don't want is for an early return to compromise his ability to come back at one hundred percent" insisted Mekies. This caution responds to the nature of the injury and the experience of other drivers who have suffered similar problems. Lance Stroll, for example, competed in 2023 with a broken wrist after a cycling accident, while Daniel Ricciardo missed five Grands Prix that same year due to a hand fracture.
The impact of Hadjar's absence goes beyond points, the Frenchman had had a solid start to the season with Red Bull, scoring eight top ten results, including a podium in Monaco and had managed to qualify ahead of Max Verstappen on three occasions. His absence has deprived him not only of scoring points but also of continuing to accumulate experience with the RB22, a car that is still in a full phase of understanding for all the teams.
Mekies acknowledged that the situation is not ideal but trusts that Hadjar will be able to recover his rhythm quickly when he returns. Meanwhile Lawson and Tsunoda will continue to fulfill their role, aware that their performance is also being evaluated for the future.
Red Bull hopes to be able to make a definitive decision on the lineup for the upcoming triple header, but there is no rush. Hadjar's health comes first and the team is willing to wait as long as necessary for him to return in the best possible conditions.
