Red Bull provide Isack Hadjar health update after wrist injury

Laurent Mekies has moved to reassure fans about Isack Hadjar's condition after the Frenchman was ruled out of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix with a wrist injury sustained during the summer break.

Red Bull confirmed on Wednesday that Hadjar would not take part at Zandvoort after picking up the minor injury while training, prompting a reshuffle across the Red Bull stable.

Liam Lawson has been drafted up from Racing Bulls to take his place in the RB22, while reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda slots into the vacated seat alongside Arvid Lindblad at the junior outfit.

It is a particularly unfortunate absence for the 21-year-old, given Zandvoort is the circuit where he claimed his maiden, and so far only, Formula 1 podium.

Hadjar finished third for Racing Bulls at last year's Dutch Grand Prix behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, announcing himself as a future star in the process.

Mekies, however, played down concerns over the severity of the injury and confirmed Hadjar would still travel to the Netherlands.

"Isack is alright," the Red Bull team principal told F1. "He suffered a minor injury in the summer break while training. He's going to arrive actually [Friday] at the track."

For Lawson, it marks a return to the team that briefly handed him a race seat at the start of 2025 before sending him back to the junior squad.

Tsunoda, meanwhile, gets a one-off chance to demonstrate his credentials once more after losing his full-time drive at the end of last season.

It is not yet clear if Hadjar will require an extended period on the sidelines, as Daniel Ricciardo did when he injured his hand — coincidentally at Zandvoort — in 2023.

However, Mekies does not see any value in rushing Hadjar back into the fold before he is ready.

"We have no reason to take any risk with him," the Frenchman added. "He has done a fantastic start of the season; he has been stronger and stronger every time he has been driving this car out of the garage, session after session, weekend after weekend.

"We take zero risk; we let him sort out the recovery this weekend, and hopefully we’ll have him very, very quickly [back] in the car."