Isack Hadjar qualified fourth at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP on his return from injury, lining up ahead of Lando Norris and behind Oscar Piastri in a competitive session dominated by George Russell. The Frenchman had missed three consecutive races with a wrist injury sustained during the summer break, with Liam Lawson deputising at Red Bull in his absence.
His comeback at Baku also comes with confirmation that he will remain at Red Bull Racing for the 2027 season. In Qualifying, Hadjar set a 1:43.500, 0.974 seconds behind pole-sitter Russell, and spoke in the print media pen afterwards about his measured approach to the session.
Hadjar on his approach to qualifying at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP
Hadjar was positive about his approach across the weekend, building gradually before making a step forward in Q3. He had not done many laps in practice 1, looking off the pace through FP2 and FP3. However, he got stronger and stronger as the day continued, eventually becoming a genuine threat for a top 3 spot.
“I’m happy about the approach, you know. I just took it very slowly yesterday up until Q1 where I made a step. But nothing, nothing out there. I just feel like I just need more laps in the car to actually be second on the grid. It’s quite close ahead. So yeah, I’m happy with myself. If I had been racing the last three races then I would definitely be second on the grid. I just feel like it’s a tough track to come back to after two months,” Hadjar stated.
Baku’s unforgiving walls had been a talking point throughout the weekend, with multiple drivers running close to the barriers across all three practice sessions and Azerbaijan GP Qualifying. Hadjar said he had deliberately kept himself under the limit in the tighter sections rather than take risks on his first weekend back.
“Yeah, for me, I told myself it’s mandatory not to touch the wall or anything. For a comeback, there’s no point taking a lot of risks, to be fair. So I was really driving a bit under the limit the whole weekend in very tight sections. I think I just did that natural step in Q3. But I had it really under control and I started having a bit more fun at the end of Q2. I was actually taking risks and actually I went away for the first time this weekend. I had to lock up. So, yeah, that was the smart approach.”
Hadjar on the car and his expectations for the race
Hadjar noted an improvement in the Red Bull’s balance since he last drove the car at Budapest ahead of qualifying for the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP. The car felt better through the corners than when he had stepped away from it two months ago. He was also straightforward about Mercedes’ straight-line advantage, which showed clearly in the gap to Russell’s pole time.
“It feels better in the corners than when I left the car in Budapest. Definitely did a step on the balance. Just the behaviour of the car straight away, lap one yesterday, I was like, this is better. Mercedes are just fast in the straights, just very fast. It’s not like they’re not fast in the corners, they’re the fastest still. In the straight line, in sector three, we’re struggling a lot.”
Hadjar was optimistic about Red Bull’s chances during the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP Feature Race. He expects the car to be competitive with Ferrari and McLaren on long-run pace, and identified a clean start as the priority after losing positions off the line in recent races before his injury.
“To be similar to our qualifying pace, so in the mix with Ferrari and McLaren. We just need a better start than the last couple of races. They’ve been very average, so we can’t afford to lose one or two places in turn one,” Hadjar concluded.
