Isack Hadjar’s wrist is healing nicely, which is good news for him and mildly inconvenient for Liam Lawson, who had rather enjoyed reminding everyone he still exists. Red Bull are quietly confident their sidelined driver will be back in the cockpit for Monza next weekend, though nobody at Milton Keynes is treating that as a certainty rather than a hope dressed up in press-release language.
A Wrist, a Withdrawal, and a Very Useful Phone Contact
Hadjar injured his left wrist in training ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix and made the call to sit the race out rather than risk making things worse. Liam Lawson slotted into the second Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen and delivered a genuinely impressive drive to seventh, the sort of result that makes team principals nervously reread contracts. Over at Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda covered for Lawson and finished eleventh, just outside the points and just ahead of Arvid Lindblad, which is either a mild consolation or a source of considerable irritation depending on which garage you’re standing in.
According to RacingNews365, the wrist has improved considerably since Zandvoort, and both driver and team are optimistic he’ll be fit for Monza. A final call is expected next Wednesday, timed deliberately close to the Italian Grand Prix weekend to squeeze out every last hour of rehabilitation. Medical checks and simulator running will presumably decide it, though quite how Red Bull plans to stress-test a healing wrist in a sim rig is anyone’s guess. If Hadjar isn’t passed fit, expect the exact same driver swap as Zandvoort: Lawson in the RB22, Tsunoda at Racing Bulls.
Why Hadjar Rang Marc Marquez
Here’s the part of this story that’s actually interesting: Hadjar didn’t just sit out a race on medical advice, he sought out one of the most qualified people on the planet to tell him to be sensible. Marc Marquez, seven-time MotoGP champion and no stranger to catastrophic comeback decisions, revealed ahead of the Aragon round that Hadjar called him for advice after the injury. The pair share a physiotherapist, which is how the connection came about, and Marquez didn’t hold back.
“I’m obviously not a doctor, it was purely for advice. Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult for a rider or driver, you feel like maybe you can do it, but it’s very hard to accept: okay, I’ll skip this one to prepare better for the next.” – Marc Marquez
Marquez knows exactly what he’s talking about, because he lived the alternative. He broke his right upper arm in a heavy crash at Jerez in 2020, then tried an absurdly premature comeback just days later at the same circuit for the following round. That decision cascaded into four major surgeries over two years and effectively torched what should have been the prime years of his career. It’s the kind of cautionary tale that makes “sit this one out” sound less like caution and more like common sense screamed through a megaphone.
“I’ve learned in the past that missing one race doesn’t change your life. But aggravating an injury because you came back too early, that can change your life.” – Marc Marquez
Marquez added that he believed Hadjar made the right call, pointing out the Frenchman has a long career ahead of him and no reason to gamble it for one Sunday afternoon in the Netherlands. It’s hard to argue with a man who spent two years and multiple operations learning that lesson the hard way.
What This Actually Means for Red Bull
Strip away the feel-good MotoGP crossover angle and this is still, fundamentally, a driver market story. Lawson’s seventh place at Zandvoort was a timely reminder that he’s not just making up the numbers as the spare part, and Red Bull now find themselves with a mildly awkward selection headache heading into Monza. If Hadjar is passed fit, he presumably walks straight back into his seat, injury history and one-time podium finish intact. If he isn’t, Lawson gets another go, and every additional strong result makes that particular conversation more interesting than Red Bull would probably like.
None of this happens in a vacuum, either. Verstappen’s own future is now settled until 2030, and any hint of instability in the sister seat only adds to the sense that Red Bull’s driver lineup is more fluid than the team would like to admit publicly. Standings-wise, Hadjar sits comfortably ahead of Lawson in the championship, but points gaps have a habit of closing fast when one driver is stuck on the sidelines nursing a wrist and the other is busy banging in points finishes in his absence.
There’s also the small matter of Madrid looming after Monza, a street circuit reportedly littered with bumps that would test even a fully healthy wrist, let alone one recently rehabilitated from injury. Red Bull’s caution over the coming weeks makes a great deal more sense once you consider that particular banana skin further down the calendar.
The Cynical Bit
It’s easy to admire the sensible decision-making here, Hadjar sat out, took advice from someone who learned the hard way, and appears to have avoided turning a minor injury into a long-term problem. But let’s not pretend this was purely about self-preservation and wisdom beyond his years. A 21-year-old with a podium already to his name knows exactly how quickly a seat can become someone else’s seat, and Lawson’s performance at Zandvoort will not have gone unnoticed in the Hadjar camp either. Sensible, yes. Comfortable, probably not.
