Hadjar injury may be more serious than first thought

Isack Hadjar is now in danger of missing a fourth consecutive Formula 1 race, with new reports suggesting his wrist injury may be more serious than the initially reported hairline fracture.

There is now speculation that tendon damage may also be involved, which would help explain why Red Bull has continued to delay his comeback.

Laurent Mekies told Speed Week that Hadjar’s recovery is still proceeding normally for the injury he has.

"Isack’s recovery is progressing according to plan," the Red Bull team boss said.

"It’s a normal recovery time for the injury he has. We will continue with the same approach we’ve been using so far."

Hadjar has already missed Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, with Liam Lawson replacing him each time.

Red Bull will again delay a final decision until shortly before Baku.

"We will assess the situation in a week," said Mekies.

"Then we will put him in the simulator and expose him to real stresses. If he feels close to 100 percent, then he will drive."

"And if we feel that the recovery is not yet complete, we will stick to our approach of prioritising his recovery."

"We want to avoid jeopardizing his long-term chances of returning to 100 percent form with a premature comeback."

Lawson, meanwhile, says the uncertainty is making preparation difficult because he has to be ready each weekend for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

"It’s possible the decision about which car I’ll drive in Baku won’t be made until Wednesday or Thursday," said the New Zealander.

"It’s psychologically challenging to prepare when you still don’t know what car you’ll be driving. The more I drive this car, the more comfortable I feel, and going back to another one will be difficult."