Hadjar has one telling word to describe his wrist injury

Isack Hadjar had undoubtedly envisioned the first Grand Prix after the summer break differently. The Frenchman hoped to continue his good form, but instead he is sidelined in the Netherlands this weekend. During a practice session in preparation for the Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he sustained a wrist fracture.

Despite this, Hadjar has traveled to the Netherlands this weekend, arriving in the paddock on Friday afternoon. The driver kept his wrist hidden under his jacket, but it very much appeared to be heavily wrapped - possibly in a cast, judging by the position of his arm.

Once inside the Red Bull Energy Station, Hadjar embraced a single team member, after which GPblog asked the Frenchman how his arm was. Just one single word, spoken loudly, was all Max Verstappen’s teammate needed to describe it: "S**t!"

It is unclear when Hadjar will return to action. Although Red Bull maintains that an evaluation will follow in the coming weeks and a decision will then be made, the expectation in the F1 paddock is also that Hadjar will be out for longer.

Healing a small fracture in the wrist typically takes several weeks. Moreover, a bumpy circuit can not only cause considerable pain, but further damage cannot be ruled out. In that case, Hadjar would be set back even more.

Liam Lawson is replacing Hadjar at Red Bull this weekend. The New Zealander has been promoted from Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda will take Lawson’s place at that team.