Isack Hadjar returned from a wrist injury at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and claimed his second podium of the season after missing three race weekends. Driving Red Bull Racing’s RB22 at Baku City Circuit, he qualified fourth and completed a faultless race, earning his third Formula 1 podium overall. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the weekend impressed the team, particularly Hadjar’s composure and measured communication while racing alongside Max Verstappen.

Baku presented a demanding setting for Hadjar’s return. The street circuit is known for the risk of crashes and its technical sections through the city’s old town, leaving little margin for error. Hadjar had already said after practice that his wrist would not limit him, and Mekies said the team had waited for him to return at full fitness.

“I think it was outstanding what Isack has produced this weekend, really outstanding,” Mekies told written media after the race. “At first, the most important thing is that straight away he felt good in the car, no pain. It means that every time we met together in the last few weeks and we said we will wait for Isack to come back at 100% because that's the priority, well, that's what happened.”

Mekies said the absence of pain did not make the comeback straightforward. “He was in the car, he didn't have any pain. Nonetheless, even without pain, this is not an easy track to come back to because there is no margin for error.” He said Hadjar built his speed gradually across the sessions, approaching the weekend calmly and with positive energy.

Hadjar’s fourth-place qualifying result was already a strong outcome, Mekies said. His pace in the race, on both medium and soft tyres, was something the team had not seen from him before. “So on the weekend of his return, he has raised the bar again,” Mekies said, adding that Hadjar had brought something to the team each time he went on track in the first part of the season and continued to do so in Baku.

The race also showed a change in how Hadjar managed his position relative to Verstappen. Red Bull asked him to give up his place to the four-time world champion, who was struggling with Pirelli’s medium tyre. Hadjar remained disciplined with his tyres and did not press the team to return the position, supporting what Mekies described as strong teamwork between the two drivers and the pit wall.

During the stint, the team asked how much quicker Hadjar might be in clean air. He estimated two or three tenths, then added: “I’m honestly happy to be here.” After several laps, he did ask whether he was free to attack, and the team told him to keep it clean. Mekies said the earlier exchange caught his attention when Autosport asked about it.

“I think you are pinpointing exactly on the right details that make you understand a lot more about the right pictures,” Mekies said. “It shows you how cleverly the kid is racing, and how much of brain capacity he is developing while in the car, and also how much emotional control he is managing to have.”

Mekies said those traits showed progress alongside Hadjar’s increasing speed. He called the development trajectory impressive since Hadjar joined the team, and possibly dating back to the previous year. Red Bull, he said, wanted to provide him with the best environment to keep improving. Hadjar’s contract extension for 2027 and the timing of the announcement were part of that effort, Mekies acknowledged, saying the team acted deliberately to remove pressure from the driver. At the end of the media session, Mekies laughed and said: “I think Isack repaid our faith today!”

Hadjar also described a performance gain in the Red Bull car that he noticed immediately on his return. He said Baku’s particular track surface made it difficult to draw broad conclusions, but the car’s balance through corners seemed promising from his first lap in the opening practice session, FP1. Compared with the car he drove in Budapest, he felt its handling under braking had improved.

“Baku is a very specific track, specific Tarmac. But to me, the way the car was behaving in terms of through-corner balance this weekend, from lap one in FP1, I was like, ‘Okay, this is looking pretty good,’” Hadjar said. “Then the second half of the car, we’re lacking compared to Mercedes, definitely. But in terms of handling on the brakes, the car was, to me, compared to Budapest, it definitely did a step. So I’m really pleased with that.”

Hadjar contrasted the Baku result with his earlier podium in Monaco, saying the Azerbaijan finish felt like his first podium achieved through outright pace. “The Monaco podium, of course it was a podium, but it was not on pure pace, not because I qualified in the top three or whatever,” he said. He described Baku as his first clean weekend with the team in which he fought his way onto the podium, adding: “So actually, for me, it feels like a real first and it gives me good confidence heading into the next races.”

The report was published by RaceFans on Sept. 27, 2026, at 8:34, written by Keith Collantine. Collantine, a lifelong motor sport fan and former motoring journalist, set up RaceFans in 2005, when it was called F1 Fanatic, and began running the site full-time in 2010. RaceFans listed related Azerbaijan Grand Prix coverage on Fernando Alonso’s retirement, Red Bull’s instruction to Hadjar not to pass Verstappen in an unbroadcast message, Lando Norris apologizing to Franco Colapinto, Alpine condemning online abuse, and George Russell describing the final laps as “exceptionally fun” because the tyres did not degrade. Autosport also listed reports on Red Bull’s 2026 upgrade plans and Verstappen’s view that his 0.196-second finish-line gap to Russell in Baku was slightly misleading.

Based on reporting by Autosport and RaceFans.