Isack Hadjar reveals painful reality of Red Bull return after wrist fracture
Isack Hadjar says his wrist fracture is still painful
Isack Hadjar is back in the RB22 for Baku, but the Frenchman says his wrist fracture is still healing, and that he will be in pain “for a while”.
Hadjar reportedly fractured his wrist while hitting a punchbag during training and had to sit out the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix.
Isack Hadjar explains wrist pain ahead of Red Bull return
The Frenchman is back in the Red Bull for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Although Thursday’s FP1 will mark his first on-track running since July, he spent time in Red Bull’s simulator before a final decision was made on whether he was fit enough to compete this weekend.
But while he was declared fit enough, the 21-year-old revealed he is still in pain as the fracture continues to heal.
“I have a small fracture outside of the wrist and it’s just quite a long process,” Hadjar, who was wearing a wrist guard during Wednesday’s FIA driver press conference, said.
“I didn’t need any surgery, so it’s all natural and it takes some time.
“It’s still going to be painful for a while, but now it’s going to be six weeks soon and it says that it’s strong enough at the moment to resist the tensions.
“I had a test on the sim, it went well. So, you know, I think it’s a similar environment to the cockpit. It’s actually, if anything, nearly identical.
“So, if it’s fine on the sim, with the adrenaline on track and everything, I think I should be okay.
“And yeah, the training sessions have not been fun, you know, because I’ve been doing basically nothing with the left limb. So yeah, it’s been a bit boring.”
But, he insists, “it’s good enough to drive, so that’s all I need.”
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In the days after Hadjar’s injury, reports claimed he had spoken with MotoGP champion Marc Marquez about his injury.
Marquez has gone with the wringer with his own arm injuries and has undergone multiple humerus surgeries.
Hadjar confirmed that it was “true” that he had asked Marquez for advice.
As for what that advice was, Hadjar said the Spaniard told him: “Not to race!”
Hadjar’s return to the track was bolstered by Red Bull’s announcement that the Frenchman would continue with the team in F1 2027, racing alongside Max Verstappen in an unchanged line-up.
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