Isack Hadjar Says His Red Bull Feels Better Than When He Left It on Baku Return From Wrist Injury

• Isack Hadjar returned to action in Thursday practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after missing three rounds with a wrist injury sustained in the summer break.
• Hadjar said his upgraded Red Bull felt “better than when I left it” at July’s Hungarian Grand Prix, even as a gearbox issue cost him FP1 track time.
• Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache said the team’s new upgrade package delivered close to what was expected, though Mercedes still holds an edge.

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A Long Awaited Return to the Cockpit in Baku

Isack Hadjar smiled that his Red Bull car felt “better than when I left it” at July’s Hungarian Grand Prix after returning to action in Thursday practice around the Baku City Circuit.

Hadjar missed events at Zandvoort, Monza and the all new Madring track over the last month, having injured his wrist while training in the summer break. He was finally able to get back into the cockpit of his RB22 in Azerbaijan, where Red Bull have introduced a host of updates, including to the floor body, diffuser and sidepods.

A Gearbox Issue Cut Short His First Laps Back

A gearbox issue cost Hadjar valuable track time in FP1, but he got a healthy number of laps under his belt through FP2, which he finished in ninth position, 1.5 seconds away from pace setter George Russell, and seven tenths behind team mate Max Verstappen.

Summing up his return to action, and how he felt out on track, Hadjar said: “It feels good. It’s been a minute, so it was good. I had a good feeling. Not many laps, unfortunately, today, but this will come. I’m not really worried too much about the pace.”

“The feeling… With this new package, we know the characteristic is the same, of the car, but it feels nice. It’s better than when I left it in Budapest, so I’m pretty happy!”

He continued: “I think the car in FP1 was pretty strong. I had like three laps, so I wanted a few changes on the car. They didn’t do what I wanted them to do, so at least we have one clear lead. I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Wache on the Upgrade and the Pecking Order

Also speaking to the media post session, Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache offered more insight into the team’s upgrades and how the competitive order appears to be shaping up this weekend.

“It was quite positive,” Wache said of Red Bull’s day. “Both cars had the upgrade, and that is quite a good sign for us, to be able to produce and to deliver on track this upgrade. From the first analysis in FP1, and I’m waiting on the FP2 one, we more or less delivered what we expected.”

Wache added: “Clearly, Mercedes are in front of us after today, especially on the short runs. I think we have to look at the long runs also, but they look quicker.”

“McLaren looks a little bit quicker, or similar to us. After Ferrari it’s difficult to say, because so many people stopped their soft tyre lap before the end of the straight, and how you use the energy could be misleading completely the overall lap time.”

A Contract Boost Ahead of Qualifying

Hadjar heads into Friday and Saturday’s running boosted by the news that he will continue as Verstappen’s team mate for the 2027 season, with Red Bull having activated their option to retain him. The confirmation lands just as he works his way back to full fitness, giving him some certainty over his future even as he rebuilds his rhythm behind the wheel after two months out of the car.

For a driver who spent the Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid weekends watching from the sidelines, a ninth placed finish in his first session back, seven tenths off his team mate, offered an encouraging marker before Friday’s qualifying running gets underway at the Baku City Circuit.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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