Red Bull makes decision on Lawson with an eye on Hadjar's return

Liam Lawson earned an unexpected promotion to the main team last weekend for the Dutch Grand Prix, after Isack Hadjar sustained a fracture in his wrist during a practice session. As a result, Max Verstappen’s teammate was unable to take part in the latest Formula 1 race at the Zandvoort circuit.

In announcing the temporary driver swap, Red Bull stated that Hadjar was expected to miss only the Dutch Grand Prix, with further evaluations to follow after the race to assess his availability for the next round in Italy. GPblog has heard that Hadjar indicated internally last weekend in the Netherlands that his wrist already felt better than it had a few days earlier. The Frenchman is said to be optimistic about a swift return.

Should it become clear in the coming week that Hadjar is still not fit enough to race in Monza, Liam Lawson will once again step in for Red Bull Racing. With that possibility in mind, Red Bull has decided to keep the New Zealander with the team for the time being, so that he would arrive in Italy better prepared than he was in the Netherlands, if needed.

Lawson proved to be a fine substitute for Hadjar in Zandvoort. The 24-year-old driver finished seventh in the Grand Prix, which, given the relative performance of the cars, was exactly where Lawson could reasonably be expected to end up. Considering Lawson’s performance, there seems to be no pressing need for Red Bull to rush Hadjar back into the car sooner than is advisable.

Moreover, Hadjar is not currently in the hunt for the world championship, which presents the ideal opportunity to fully recover from the wrist injury before returning. Ultimately, the last thing Red Bull wants is for Hadjar to make his comeback too early, aggravate the injury, and end up sidelined even longer.