Isack Hadjar marked his Formula 1 comeback with a third-place finish at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that his injured left wrist caused no pain during the 51-lap race in Baku.
Hadjar returned to the cockpit after missing the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix because of a fractured left wrist suffered during the summer break. The Frenchman immediately delivered a podium on his return, finishing behind race winner George Russell and Max Verstappen.
Mekies stressed that Red Bull had not wanted to rush Hadjar's recovery. The team's priority was to ensure he was fully fit before returning to the RB22, with his performance in Baku providing confirmation that the decision to wait had paid off.
"It was outstanding what Isack produced this weekend, really outstanding. At first, the most important thing is that he felt straight away good in the car, no pain," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365.
The challenge was made greater by Baku's unforgiving street layout, which leaves little room for error through the narrow castle section and heavy braking zones. Hadjar gradually rebuilt his rhythm throughout the weekend, qualifying fourth before converting that pace into a podium finish on race day.
Mekies also highlighted Hadjar's race pace on both the medium and soft tyres, describing it as something Red Bull had not seen from him previously. His tyre management also became an important part of the team's strategy as he worked alongside Verstappen throughout the race.
"He also raced extremely cleverly with Max. Very disciplined with his tyres, and it allowed us to have very strong teamwork between the two, between the pit wall, and ultimately produce the best result possible," Mekies said.
Baca Juga
Media internasional menyoroti Christian Horner, kritik Lando Norris, kegagalan Oscar Piastri dan masalah Ferrari setelah Azerbaijan GP 2026 di Baku.
Fred Vasseur menghadapi tekanan di Ferrari setelah performa 2026 belum maksimal, sementara rumor Christian Horner kembali mencuat di tengah spekulasi.
Fernando Alonso kehilangan kecepatan di lintasan lurus hingga 1,5 detik sebelum gagal finis di Baku, sementara Honda menyebut mesin tetap sehat.
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