Isack Hadjar cannot take the wheel of his Red Bull this weekend at Zandvoort, but the Frenchman still wanted to join his team in the paddock while regretting this mishap.
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The return of Formula 1 after the summer break was supposed to allow Hadjar to continue the encouraging momentum of his first half of the season alongside Max Verstappen.
But a training session organized in preparation for the Dutch Grand Prix completely disrupted his plans. Victim of a wrist fracture, the Red Bull driver was forced to withdraw from Zandvoort. That did not stop him from traveling to the Netherlands.
A carefully concealed wrist
Hadjar appeared in the paddock on Friday afternoon with his arm held under his jacket. His wrist nevertheless seemed heavily immobilized, possibly with the help of a cast.
After his arrival at the Red Bull Energy Station (photo above), the Frenchman was asked about his condition. He only needed one word to sum up the situation: “Shit!”
A reaction that says a lot about the frustration of the 21-year-old driver, but also about the discomfort caused by his injury.
A still very uncertain return
Red Bull does not want to give any precise date regarding Hadjar’s return for now. The team plans to reassess his condition over the next few weeks before making a decision. In the paddock, some expect an absence that could be prolonged.
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A wrist fracture generally requires several weeks of consolidation, and the very nature of an F1 single-seater complicates any early return. Vibrations, shocks transmitted through the steering, and the significant stresses exerted on the hands could cause severe pain or even worsen the injury if it is not sufficiently healed.
Red Bull therefore has no interest in rushing his return at the risk of turning a few weeks of absence into a much longer unavailability.
Lawson takes advantage of the opportunity
Meanwhile, the game of musical chairs has begun within the two Red Bull teams. Liam Lawson has been promoted to Red Bull to replace Hadjar alongside Verstappen at Zandvoort. The seat left vacant at Racing Bulls has allowed Yuki Tsunoda to return to competition.
Hadjar will therefore have to follow the Grand Prix from the garage, a situation inevitably difficult for a driver who hoped to use Zandvoort to continue his progress.
The big unknown now concerns the length of his absence. With the upcoming races approaching quickly, Red Bull will soon have to determine whether Hadjar’s replacement is just a one-off for Lawson… or the start of a longer absence than expected.
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