Red Bull has confirmed that Isack Hadjar will miss the 2026 Madrid Grand Prix as he continues to recover from his left wrist injury. The Frenchman has again chosen the cautious approach after sitting out Zandvoort and Monza, meaning Liam Lawson will remain in the RB22 alongside Max Verstappen for a third consecutive race, while Yuki Tsunoda will once again take Lawson’s place at Racing Bulls.
Hadjar will nevertheless travel to Madrid to support Red Bull during Formula 1’s first race weekend at the new Madring circuit. His absence means the Spanish round will become the third Grand Prix in succession that he has been unable to contest following the injury he sustained during the summer break.
Isack Hadjar ruled out of Madrid as wrist recovery continues
Laurent Mekies had already indicated during the Monza weekend that seeing Isack Hadjar back in the Red Bull as early as Madrid would be very, very difficult. The French driver had been forced to miss the previous two Grands Prix because of the wrist injury, withdrawing before Zandvoort with the understanding that it was not a problem that could be resolved within a matter of days.
A medical examination was carried out before Monza to assess the condition of Hadjar’s wrist, and Red Bull rightly decided not to rush his recovery. There is little pressure from the championship situation to take unnecessary risks, with the Milton Keynes team realistically heading towards fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Red Bull is also aware that an incomplete recovery could ultimately do more harm than good.
The team had already taken the same approach when Hadjar was ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix, giving Liam Lawson a second consecutive weekend in the senior Red Bull team.
Red Bull has now officially confirmed that Hadjar will not take part in the Spanish round at the new Madrid circuit. The decision is entirely understandable, not only because his injury still requires more recovery time, but also because Madring is expected to be a demanding circuit from a driving perspective, with walls rather than extensive run-off areas defining much of the track limits.
“The decision has been taken as Isack’s recovery continues to progress positively,” Red Bull announced on Monday evening as it confirmed that the Frenchman will miss his third consecutive race after Zandvoort and Monza. “While he is not yet ready to return to the cockpit, he will be in Madrid supporting the team.”
Liam Lawson remains in Red Bull RB22 for Madrid Grand Prix
That means Liam Lawson will once again replace Isack Hadjar at Red Bull. The New Zealander performed well in terms of pace in both the Netherlands and Italy, despite also having to serve a penalty at Monza that forced him to start from the back of the grid following a Power Unit change.
Lawson originally received the call-up when Red Bull drafted him in for the Dutch Grand Prix. Madrid will therefore give him a third successive opportunity to work with the senior team and continue adapting to the RB22.
The New Zealander will again race alongside Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull future was recently secured through a new long-term agreement running to 2030, although performance-related routes out of the deal still remain.
Yuki Tsunoda gets another Racing Bulls opportunity
Just as at the previous two rounds, Yuki Tsunoda will take over the Racing Bulls seat temporarily vacated by Liam Lawson. It gives the Japanese driver at least one more race in which to deepen his understanding of the 2026 cars after returning to competitive Formula 1 action as a substitute.
Yuki Tsunoda scored his first point of the season at the Italian round by finishing 10th. Audi, however, is still considering an appeal against the stewards’ decision not to penalise the Japanese driver for allegedly causing an additional formation lap.
Although Tsunoda collected a point at Monza, the Italian weekend proved more complicated for him because of the difficulty involved in fully understanding energy management at a circuit where only a limited number of megajoules had been permitted in order to avoid excessive superclipping.
The 2026 Formula 1 regulations have made electrical energy deployment and harvesting a significantly more important part of a driver’s workload, particularly at circuits where the available energy limits require careful management across a lap.
New Madrid circuit gives Tsunoda a small advantage
Compared with his previous substitute appearances, however, Yuki Tsunoda will have one small advantage in Madrid. The circuit is completely new to every Formula 1 driver, meaning the entire field will need time to learn its characteristics and adapt during practice.
That should reduce some of the disadvantage Tsunoda faced at Zandvoort and Monza, where his rivals already had greater familiarity with their cars and the circuits. For Red Bull, meanwhile, the priority remains allowing Isack Hadjar enough time to complete his recovery rather than bringing him back before he is fully ready.
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