Marquez warns Hadjar not to repeat his Jerez mistake by rushing back from wrist injury

Marc Marquez urged Isack Hadjar to sit out Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, warning the 21-year-old Red Bull driver that racing through a wrist injury could have lasting consequences — a lesson the MotoGP world champion learned the hard way in 2020.

Hadjar had been keen to race despite injuring his wrist in a gym the week before, but ultimately withdrew after conversations with team principal Laurent Mekies and Marquez, who both pressed him to prioritise his recovery.

“Hadjar contacted me,” Marquez told MotoGP.com. “I’m not a doctor, of course, but just for advice. Because sometimes for a rider, or a driver in this case, it’s super difficult — sometimes you feel that maybe you can. But it’s difficult to accept that you will skip this race and prepare yourself in a better way for the next one.”

Marquez was direct about the stakes. “I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Missing, or worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life. My life changed a lot since the Jerez injury. So I just tried to give that advice to Hadjar, and I think he took the correct decision because he has a long career in front of him.”

The warning carries considerable weight. At the 2020 season opener in Jerez, Marquez broke a bone in his arm in a highside crash and underwent immediate surgery. He attempted to return just days later for the Andalucian Grand Prix, but the additional stress fractured the metal plate attached to his arm. He withdrew mid-weekend and missed the entire season. It took a fourth operation in 2022 before he recovered significant mobility in the arm.

The episode appears to have fundamentally reshaped how Marquez approaches injury management, with the factory Ducati rider repeatedly acknowledging in recent years that he has learned to accept his physical limitations rather than override them.

Hadjar’s absence from Zandvoort triggered a reshuffle at Red Bull’s junior structure, with Liam Lawson promoted from Racing Bulls to take his seat and Yuki Tsunoda stepping into Lawson’s place at the sister team. It remains unclear when Hadjar will be fit to return, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza scheduled for 6 September.