Isack Hadjar returned to the cockpit in near-perfect fashion. After missing races due to a wrist injury, the young Red Bull Racing driver stormed to a third-place podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, capitalising on a late lock-up from McLaren's Oscar Piastri. The result completed a double podium for the Milton Keynes outfit alongside second-place finisher Max Verstappen.
Hadjar's performance drew praise from F1 TV pundit Alex Brundle, who highlighted not only his pace but also his willingness to follow team orders and stay behind Verstappen. "This way or that way, I think Max would have ended up generously ahead of Hadjar at the end of the race," Brundle said on the post-race broadcast. "And as it played out, he probably would have passed him pretty quickly when he was on the soft tyre."
Brundle added that Hadjar's comeback was exceptional. "But Hadjar really had an exceptional comeback today and has earned himself some good team-mate points for playing the game and he demonstrated amazing pace this weekend," he explained. "If you want to have a comeback from an injury with a new contract in your hands, that's the one to have, and he thoroughly deserved the podium. In fact, as a pair of drivers, the best in the field today."
1996 Formula 1 champion Damon Hill, who joined Brundle on the broadcast, shared his view. "Incredible recovery from Isack Hadjar to bounce back after his injury and being away. They were a strong team. You can never discount Red Bull," Hill said. "They are an aggressive attacking racing team who take chances. They're always fighting for things, and they're incredible. You have to say they've been through so many different iterations of management and goodness knows what, but they're still there fighting."
With this result, Verstappen and Hadjar sit sixth and eighth in the drivers' championship with 163 and 86 points, respectively. Red Bull is fourth in the constructors' standings with 263 points, including points scored by Liam Lawson while deputising for the injured Hadjar. This double podium signals that the Milton Keynes team still has its claws out for the remainder of the season.
For Hadjar, Baku was not just about finishing third. It was a statement that he can return from injury without losing speed, and that his new contract for 2027 is not a guarantee but motivation. His partnership with Verstappen is showing solid chemistry, something Red Bull can build on to fight harder in the upcoming rounds.
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