Isack Hadjar is back in a Red Bull cockpit this week, and Liam Lawson can start clearing out his locker. Again. The Frenchman returns for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku having finally been passed fit after a wrist injury sidelined him for three races, and the timing could not be more awkward for a team that just watched his stand-in quietly do rather well.
Red Bull confirmed the swap in a statement issued on Tuesday, the same one doing the diplomatic rounds of thanking Lawson for his trouble before nudging him straight back out of the door he only recently walked through. Hadjar will be back in the car from Thursday’s opening practice at the Baku City Circuit, as noted by formula1.com, with practice moved forward to avoid a clash with the country’s Remembrance Day on 27 September.
A Wrist Injury That Cost Three Races
Hadjar picked up the injury training over the summer break and was advised to stay out of the car while it healed. That ruled him out of the Dutch Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix and the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, a run of three races that also happened to coincide with Max Verstappen rediscovering some form alongside whoever was occupying the other Red Bull.
Lawson was the man handed that opportunity, promoted from Racing Bulls for the Dutch Grand Prix while Yuki Tsunoda stepped up from his reserve role to cover Lawson’s old seat. It was meant to be a short-term fix. It ended up running for three rounds, and Lawson made sure nobody forgot he was there.
Lawson’s Numbers Do the Talking
Fourteen points from three starts is not a stat that gets a driver dropped, yet that is precisely what is happening. Lawson took seventh at Zandvoort, sixth in Madrid, and endured a scoreless weekend at Monza after a string of power unit penalties left him fighting from the back before contact with Nico Hulkenberg damaged his front wing and forced an extra pit stop.
| Race | Liam Lawson (Red Bull) | Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch GP | P7 | P11 |
| Italian GP | P14 (grid penalties, front wing damage) | P10 (scored a point) |
| Spanish GP | P6 | P11 |
Tsunoda, for his part, was not exactly an embarrassment either. He picked up a point at Monza and was in the mix for another at Zandvoort before Pierre Gasly nabbed tenth off him late on. Nobody at Racing Bulls covered themselves in shame during Hadjar’s absence, which is rather the point. Red Bull’s official line was warm enough about it.
“The team would like to sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication, and hard work over the past three races. Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team. We wish him all the best as he returns to Racing Bulls.” – Red Bull statement
Warm words are cheap. What Red Bull actually did was let Lawson prove he belongs in that car, then send him back to the sister team the moment the original occupant produced a doctor’s note. That is not a criticism of Hadjar, who did nothing wrong beyond getting injured, but it does rather undercut the idea that Red Bull’s second seat is settled business.
Marquez’s Warning and a Podium Reinstated
Hadjar’s route back was not without outside help. He sought advice from MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who knows more than most about the dangers of rushing back from an arm injury, having required multiple surgeries after aggravating his own fracture by returning too soon in 2020.
“I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life.” – Marc Marquez
It is sound advice, and Hadjar appears to have heeded it, sitting out the full recommended recovery rather than forcing an early return. He did not exactly stand still in the standings while absent either. Hadjar’s Monaco Grand Prix third place was reinstated after McLaren and Red Bull successfully appealed the post-race decision to rescind Gasly’s two five-second penalties for speeding in the pitlane, a paperwork victory that quietly boosted his points tally without him turning a wheel. He sits eighth in the drivers’ standings on 71 points, still comfortably clear of Lawson in ninth on 59, though that gap owes plenty to races Lawson never got to contest in Hadjar’s car.
Racing Bulls Have Bigger Fish to Fry Anyway
Whatever the individual driver politics, Racing Bulls have a constructors’ fight worth watching. The team sits fifth with 77 points, nine clear of Alpine in sixth, and getting Lawson back alongside Arvid Lindblad gives them their strongest pairing for the run-in. With nine races remaining including Baku, that cushion over Alpine is not enormous, and every point Lawson picks up now counts double given how well he performed on loan.
None of this changes what happens this week. Hadjar straps back into the Red Bull for practice on Thursday, qualifying follows on Friday at 12:00 UTC, and the race goes green on Saturday at 11:00 UTC, check the calendar for your local time. But the more interesting story is the one Red Bull will not be saying out loud: their reserve plan just outperformed expectations, and somewhere in Milton Keynes there must be a conversation happening about what that means the next time a seat opens up.
