After sitting out of three consecitive races due to a wrist injury, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar made his return to racing at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP. It was a very positive return for the Frenchman who placed himself P4 on the starting grid in qualifying. This was also his best qualifying result since the season opener in Melbourne where he qualified in P3.
Hadjar was able to build on the strong momentum of the weekend and took the chequred flag at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP in P3, clinching his third podium in F1.
During the race itself, he overtook Charles Leclerc early on, before Max Verstappen was eased by. They were then bottled up behind Oscar Piastri for over 20 laps. However, after the second restart, the Aussie locked up trying to defend against car #6 and Hadjar moved into 3rd. He comfortably brought it home from there.
Hadjar reflects on 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP performance
Reflecting on his performance at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Isack Hadjar shared how he approached the weekend “step by step” espescailly with the incredibly narrow sections of the Baku City Circuit.
The Frenchman also reflected that his P3 finish at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP felt like his maiden podium that he acheived by “pure pace”. As Hadjar noted, his maiden podium at the 2025 Dutch GP came about following Lando Norris’ retirement, with his second coming from Pierre Gasly’s penalties in Monaco earlier in the season.
On Saturday, only George Russell was faster than the Red Bulls.
“Yeah, I’m happy. You know, it’s been very long, six weeks. You know, it’s been like six weeks since I enjoyed myself and now, I think it was the right time to come back. I felt strong and, you know, this weekend I really took it step by step. It’s a track you can end up in the wall really quickly. I didn’t need that to gain the confidence, so it was a very slow build-up, but it brought me here. So, I’m very, very happy for an actual first proper podium on pure pace. So I’m very, very delighted.”
Hadjar also gave an update on his wrist, reporting that despite some numbness, he feels prepared to tackle the remainder of the 2026 F1 season.
“Yeah, now I’m completely satisfied. Even though it’s a bit numb, I’m happy. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to get racing. It’s going to be a very packed schedule, so, yeah, I can’t wait to be in Sepang.”
Hadjar’s approach at the Baku City Circuit
After six weeks away from the wheel, Hadjar shared that he returned after ample time of recovery and reflected that his RB22 felt alot better to drive than compared to the last time he drove it in Hungary.
He also admitted to being slightly cautious around the track early doors to avoid reinjuring himself and crashing into the barriers. His approach clearly played off as he was able to clinch his second podium of the season.
“Yeah, I must say I came back at the right time in terms of an injury point of view and, at the same time, in terms of what the car is capable of. You know, the way I left the car in Budapest, I was not really satisfied, and coming back after a couple of races, definitely made a step. So yeah, definitely happy about that. And, you know, in terms of the approach, I took it really slowly, the whole weekend, because it’s a demanding track to come back to. I don’t want to be in the wall. And, yeah, like I said, it’s a tough track to come back to. The approach was great. It brought me to that P3. So, yeah, I can’t really do much better than that.”
On his return to racing
Hadjar also shared some insights on his time away from the track prior to the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP. The Frenchman compared his six week break to the winter break, sharing that he did desprately miss racing on track.
“Yeah, it’s been a moment now. I felt like I had, like, a whole winter break, which is not really what you want in the middle of the season. So, yeah, I definitely missed it. You know, the adrenaline, those Q3 laps, the restart, and, yeah, it’s good to be back fighting with the other drivers. It’s what I love to do. So hopefully I use a bit more my brain when I go boxing next time.”
Hadjar then touched on the gearbox vibration he detected behind the safety car during the restart. The 21-year-old revealed that it was resolved by time he took the chequred flag but the actual issue is still unknown.
“No, it was quite noisy and I felt a lot of vibrations. I was a bit stressed, to be honest. I wasn’t really sure, but everything was fine until the very end. But yeah, let’s see if it’s just some irrelevant noise or actually relevant. Let’s see.”
At the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Hadjar came into the weekend with the custom helmet he made for the Dutch GP that he ultimately sat out. The helmet featured the broken delft blue ceramic trophy which he received on his maiden podium. The Frenchman noted the coincidence but shared that it was now a retired helmet.
“It was pure coincidence. I should have raced that helmet in Zandvoort. I made it, so I wanted to, even though I skipped those races, wear it for that occasion. But now it’s a retired helmet and has a podium, so it’s good.”
Red Bull upgrade performance
Coming into the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Red Bull was one of the few teams to bring major upgrades to the Baku City Circuit. These upgrades included a revisied floor and sidfepod specifications that were fitted to both Hadjar and teammate Max Verstappen’s RB22.
When asked about the performance of said upgrades, the Frenchman shared that while he was personally satisfied with the performance of these upgrades, they were still “lacking compared to Mercedes”.
“Yeah, to be honest, Baku is a very specific track, specific tarmac. But like I said, 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.” Then the second half of the car, we’re lacking compared to Mercedes, definitely. But, you know, in terms of handling on the brakes, the car was, to me, compared to Budapest, it definitely did a step. So yeah, I’m really pleased with that.”
