Red Bull issue Isack Hadjar injury deadline as major Azerbaijan GP decision looms
Red Bull will give Isack Hadjar this week to prove his fitness before making a decision on their lineup for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old driver is currently sidelined with a wrist injury he suffered during boxing training over the summer break, which has ruled him out of the last three race weekends.
Hadjar has been replaced by Liam Lawson in the Red Bull lineup, with Yuki Tsunoda standing in at Racing Bulls during his absence. Although there is a desire to get Hadjar back on track as soon as possible, Red Bull insists it will not rush his rehabilitation until he is close to full fitness.
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Red Bull issue Isack Hadjar injury deadline
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says they will give Hadjar this week before deciding whether he will be in contention to race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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The French driver has not raced since taking part in the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, exactly two months before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, September 26.
"Isack is good, he's downstairs right now. Joke aside, there is nothing wrong with Isack's recovery," Mekies joked. "I think we have learned that it's fundamentally a normal time for the sort of injuries he has, so we will continue with the same approach that we had.
"We will evaluate the situation in a week. We have a bit more than a full week to evaluate the situation, to see how he feels, and then to put him on the simulator, to expose him to real-life constraints.
"If he feels close to 100%, we go for it; if he feels the recovery is not completed, we will stick to our approach to put his recovery first. What we don't want to do is, by having an early return, compromise his long-term capacity to come back to 100%."
Isack Hadjar injury casts doubts over Liam Lawson
The uncertainty surrounding Hadjar's return from injury is not only an issue for Red Bull, but also for replacement driver Lawson. The New Zealander knows he will be driving at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but does not know whether it will be in the Red Bull or Racing Bulls car.
It means Lawson will spend his preparation for the event working with both teams as he tries to balance both possibilities ahead of the new race weekend.
Asked if he was looking forward to driving his usual car again, he said: "I mean, it's more the prep. Doing prep for both is a bit difficult, and getting used to different cars.
"Coming to the end of the [Madrid] weekend now, I feel quite comfortable in this car. But just going forward, it's the unknown all the way up to the race weekends. Probably all the way up to Wednesday or Thursday for Baku will be, potentially, when that's decided, and that's quite tricky to mentally prepare for what car I'm going to drive.
"But, at the same time, like I said, the more time I drive this, I get more comfortable. Going back now will be quite tough. It's completely different to drive."
Topics:Ā Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson
Rich Fay