Hadjar targets Monza return after wrist injury ruled him out of Dutch GP

Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar is targeting a return to the cockpit at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza after a wrist injury kept him out of last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Hadjar sustained the injury during the summer break — the first of his career by his own admission — and was replaced by Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson for the Zandvoort round. Despite sitting out the race, Hadjar was present at the circuit and filmed a behind-the-scenes video with the team in which he offered an encouraging update on his recovery.

“Actually, it’s my first injury ever in my whole existence, career, whatever,” Hadjar said. “It’s weird to be on the bench and I’m not happy about it, for me and for the team. Obviously, I want to be there every lap.”

Pointing to his braced wrist, he added: “It’s not swollen, which is very good. It’s a good sign. So, actually, it’s healing fast. Every day I have a bit more mobility and I’m hopeful for Monza.”

Neither Red Bull nor Hadjar has officially confirmed his return for Italy, and the team has stopped short of ruling Lawson back in. Lawson’s stand-in performance at Zandvoort drew praise from Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, who noted the difficulty of switching between two different cars mid-season.

“As for Liam, it’s never easy to jump from one team to another,” Mekies said. “Today he took the points that we were able to take. Yesterday, he did a very good job in qualifying, being very close to Max and we thank him for having been able to adapt so quickly to the team.”

Lawson finished seventh at Zandvoort, collecting six points for Red Bull in Hadjar’s absence.

Hadjar currently sits eighth in the drivers’ championship with 68 points, while team-mate Max Verstappen is sixth on 112. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is scheduled for 4–6 September.