Red Bull has poured cold water on Isack Hadjar’s hopes of making his return to the grid at next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, with team principal Laurent Mekies insisting the young Frenchman’s recovery remains firmly ahead of any comeback deadline.
Hadjar has now missed the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix after suffering a wrist injury while training during Formula 1’s summer break.
Liam Lawson has stepped into the Red Bull cockpit in his absence, while Yuki Tsunoda has moved back to Racing Bulls to fill the resulting vacancy.
Hadjar had initially targeted Monza for his return after making encouraging progress during his recovery. But with the Italian weekend also passing without him, Madrid had naturally emerged as the next opportunity.
Mekies, however, suggested that target is already looking increasingly ambitious.
Madrid comeback looking unlikely
Speaking during Friday’s opening day of running at Monza, Mekies acknowledged that the short turnaround leaves little room for Hadjar to complete his recovery safely.
The Red Bull boss stressed that the team will continue to assess the situation rather than force a decision around a particular race.
“Madrid is a few days from now, so that’s tricky,” Mekies told French broadcaster Canal+ during practice at Monza.
“We’ll re-evaluate his situation, but targeting Madrid probably is tricky. But we’re taking things one race at a time and we’re looking at it together in a more rational way.
“Again, the priority, what will influence our decision, is being sure he returns at 100 percent and with zero risks for his future.”
That cautious approach comes despite Hadjar himself reporting positive signs in his rehabilitation. In a video shared by Red Bull earlier this week, the 21-year-old revealed that the swelling had gone down and his wrist mobility was improving daily.
For now, though, those encouraging developments have not been enough to convince Red Bull that he is ready to resume driving.
Red Bull refuses to rush Hadjar
Mekies made clear that there is no appetite within Red Bull to gamble with Hadjar’s recovery simply to get him back behind the wheel as soon as possible.
The Frenchman’s impressive 2026 campaign has only strengthened the team’s determination to ensure that his comeback is a complete one.
Mekies acknowledged that being sidelined is inevitably frustrating for a driver who wants to race, but insisted that the bigger picture matters more.
“Isack is okay,” Mekies said. “He can’t drive now so, obviously, I’m not going to tell you he’s happy – because he’s not. But the absolute priority is his recovery. We have no reason to take risks with it.
“His season so far has been fantastic, he’s very young, he improves every time he drives the car, so it’s important for him to return when he’s 100 percent.
“So we’ll take whatever time is required, trust his feeling and the doctors’ guidance, and give him the time he needs. We’ll soon laugh about this, I’m sure.”
For Hadjar, that may mean another weekend watching from the sidelines. And while Madrid remains technically within reach, Mekies’ latest comments suggest Red Bull would much rather wait a little longer than compromise the recovery of one of the team’s brightest young talents.
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