ISACK HADJAR TO MISS DUTCH GP AFTER WRIST INJURY, TSUNODA RETURNS
Isack Hadjar will miss this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury during the Formula 1 summer break. Red Bull confirmed on Wednesday that the French driver is not fit to race at Zandvoort, forcing both Red Bull and Racing Bulls to make changes to their line-ups.
Hadjar suffered the injury during training in the summer shutdown. Reports indicate that the problem came from a boxing session, although the teams have not given more details about exactly how the injury happened. The injury is serious enough to prevent Hadjar from driving this weekend.
Liam Lawson will replace Hadjar at Red Bull and will race alongside Max Verstappen in the RB22. It will be a return to the senior Red Bull team for the New Zealander, who is currently racing for Racing Bulls. Red Bull thanked Lawson for accepting the call at short notice and wished Hadjar a quick recovery.
The change also opens a seat at Racing Bulls, and the team has decided to bring back Yuki Tsunoda for the Dutch Grand Prix. Tsunoda, who is currently a reserve driver for the Red Bull group, will race alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad at Zandvoort.
For Tsunoda, this will be an unexpected return to a full Grand Prix weekend. The Japanese driver lost his full-time Red Bull seat for the 2026 season after the team chose Hadjar, but he remained within the Red Bull programme as a reserve driver. He will now get the chance to race again because of Lawson’s temporary promotion.
The situation is also interesting for Lawson because Zandvoort is where he made his Formula 1 debut. In 2023, he was called up by AlphaTauri to replace Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian injured his wrist during practice at the same circuit. Lawson finished 13th in his first F1 race.
Lawson also has previous experience racing for Red Bull. He was promoted to the senior team at the start of the 2025 season, but after only two Grands Prix he was moved back to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda taking his place. Lawson has since established himself again at Racing Bulls and now gets another opportunity with the main team.
Hadjar’s absence is a major setback for the Frenchman, who is in his first season with Red Bull. He is currently eighth in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, while Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen is sixth. The team will therefore have to deal with a temporary change during an important part of the season.
The Dutch Grand Prix will be the first race after the summer break, with the Zandvoort weekend taking place from Friday to Sunday. Hadjar will now focus on recovering from his wrist injury, while Lawson will have to quickly adapt to the RB22 after stepping up from Racing Bulls.
The exact timeline for Hadjar’s return has not been officially confirmed. Red Bull has only stated that he will miss the Dutch Grand Prix and has wished him a speedy recovery. The next race will be the Italian Grand Prix at Monza two weeks later, where Hadjar could potentially return if he is fit to drive.
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