Isack Hadjar shares injury detail as 'painful' recovery continues

Isack Hadjar did not require surgery on his fractured wrist, but has conceded it will be "painful for a while" as he returns to racing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hadjar returns to the cockpit of his Red Bull in Baku following three rounds on the sidelines after suffering his injury during training over the F1 summer break.

Liam Lawson deputised in the RB22 in his absence, performing well, with Yuki Tsunoda taking the open seat at Racing Bulls.

Despite missing the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix, Hadjar believes his wrist will be strong enough to endure the rigours of an F1 weekend, even if it causes him some discomfort.

"I have a small fracture on the outside of the wrist, the 21-year-old told media, including RacingNews365.

"It's just quite a long process. I didn't need any surgery, so it's all natural, and it takes some time.

"It's still it's still going to be painful for a while, but now it's going to be six weeks soon, and it says that it's strong enough at the moment to resist the tensions."

Hadjar expects 'adrenaline' will see him through F1 return

In the build-up to the round at the Baku City Circuit, Red Bull tried Hadjar out on the simulator to assess his fitness.

With team principal Laurent Mekies previously stressing the French driver would not be rushed back into action, Hadjar feels adrenaline will help see him through on a weekend he celebrates confirmation that he will continue to race for the six-time F1 constructors' champions in 2027.

"I had a test on the sim; it went well," Hadjar added. "I think it's a similar environment to the cockpit. It's actually, if anything, nearly identical.

"So if it's fine on the sim, with the adrenaline on track and everything, I think I should be okay.

"It's just been the training sessions have not been fun, because I've been doing basically nothing with the left limb, so it's been a bit boring."