Isack Hadjar wanted to participate in the Dutch Grand Prix despite his wrist fracture, but a piece of advice from Marc Marquez helped convince the Red Bull driver to give up racing.
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According to Canal+ journalist Julien Fébreau, Hadjar and the multiple MotoGP world champion share the same physiotherapist, Carlos Garcia.
Informed of the Frenchman’s injury, Marquez reportedly contacted him directly. The message from the Spaniard was particularly clear: in his current physical condition, Hadjar should not start the race.
Advice that certainly carries weight coming from a driver whose career has been marked by several injuries and surgeries, and who knows perfectly well the consequences that a too-quick return to competition can have.
A relatively minor fracture
The initial information about the injury had raised some concerns about the length of the Frenchman’s unavailability. According to Sky Deutschland, it is actually a very fine wrist fracture, sustained during a boxing session as part of his physical preparation. Hadjar hardly felt anything at the time. It was only the next morning that the pain really allowed the problem to be identified.
Despite his desire to take the wheel of the RB22 at Zandvoort, Red Bull preferred to adopt an extremely cautious approach: “It’s unfortunate, but we don’t want to take any risks”, explained Laurent Mekies.
The Red Bull team principal believes in particular that the performances achieved by Hadjar during the first half of the season do not justify compromising his recovery for a single Grand Prix: “He had a very good first half of the season. So he is missing this race and we are giving him the opportunity to recover.”
Hadjar was nevertheless present in the Dutch paddock this weekend (photo above) and was seen in the Red Bull garage.
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Red Bull aims for a return at Monza
The goal is now clear: to allow Hadjar to regain his seat at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, two weeks after Zandvoort.
Mekies however refuses to guarantee his presence: “It is still too early to say anything. But our goal is for Isack to be back in the car at Monza.”
Everything will therefore depend on the evolution of the fracture and the Frenchman’s ability to withstand the physical demands of a Formula 1 car without risking worsening his injury. In the meantime, Liam Lawson has been called up to Red Bull, while Yuki Tsunoda is making his return to Racing Bulls.
No worries for 2027
CEO Peter Bayer praised the performances of Lawson and Arvid Lindblad this weekend, while Nikola Tsolov, current leader of Formula 2, is also continuing to progress in the Red Bull hierarchy. The Bulgarian is due to soon carry out a TPC test at Imola to gain experience behind the wheel of an F1 car.
For Hadjar, the priority remains much more immediate: to fully recover rather than turn a small fracture into a problem likely to make him miss several races.
Marquez’s advice and Red Bull’s caution should therefore allow the Frenchman to miss only Zandvoort, with hopes of a return as early as Monza.
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