Red Bull is taking a cautious approach with Isack Hadjar, but team boss Laurent Mekies has nevertheless set a potential return target for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the young Frenchman completes his rehabilitation from a wrist injury.
Hadjar remains on the sidelines for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix – his third straight race absence –leaving Liam Lawson to partner Max Verstappen.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury during a pre-Dutch Grand Prix training session, and team management has maintained a strict stance against putting him back in the cockpit before he achieves complete physical fitness.
Although Hadjar traveled to Spain to stay embedded with the garage, Red Bull quickly ruled out any chance of him taking on the brand-new Madring circuit.
Laurent Mekies made it clear that management had no intention of rushing the process, especially given the technical, barrier-lined nature of the venue.
“It was an easy one. He didn’t feel that he was 100 percent and that’s the only criteria we used,” the Red Bull chief told Sky F1.
“Are you 100 percent, and so it was an easy one for here. We always said we would prioritise him coming back at 100 percent.”
Subjecting a healing wrist to an unfamiliar street layout posed an unnecessary hazard to Hadjar's long-term physical health.
“There is no point in throwing him into a track like today. Not feeling good and potentially delaying his full recovery,” Mekies added. “So that’s the assessments that we have done.”
The focus now pivots to Baju, affording Hadjar two critical weeks to regain full strength. Clearing him for Azerbaijan carries extra weight, as that event kicks off a relentless triple-header that moves on to Malaysia and Singapore.
Mekies reassured that the medical timeline remains on target without any underlying complications.
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“We have a bit more time before Baku,” he said. “And honestly there is nothing wrong with his recovery. The recovery is going as planned. Some things take time, and we will take the time to evaluate before Baku and to put him on the sim.”
Red Bull plans to use upcoming simulator sessions at Milton Keynes as the decisive benchmark to confirm whether Hadjar is physically ready to resume driving duties.
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