Hadjar in doubt for Dutch GP with wrist injury, Lawson on Red Bull standby

Isack Hadjar is in serious doubt for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a wrist injury over the summer break, potentially forcing Red Bull Racing to turn to Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. According to De Telegraaf, the Frenchman was hurt during a gym session, putting his participation at Zandvoort — where he scored his maiden F1 podium last year — in jeopardy and threatening to trigger a driver shuffle across the Red Bull junior program.

Why it matters:

Hadjar had established himself as Red Bull's most stable junior prospect in years and was widely expected to retain his main team seat for 2027. A sudden absence would not only cost him momentum at a favored track but also underscore the ongoing instability in Red Bull's driver pipeline, with the team once again leaning on short-term replacements rather than a settled lineup.

The details:

• De Telegraaf reports that Hadjar suffered the wrist injury during a gym session in the summer break. While no final decision has been made, his being sidelined is considered the most likely scenario.
• If Hadjar is ruled out, Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson would step up to Red Bull Racing. The New Zealander lasted just two races in the senior team before being demoted at the start of 2025, and this would mark his first appearance in the main team since.
• In a curious twist of fate, Lawson's entire F1 career began with an injury call-up at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri after the Australian broke his hand in a Zandvoort practice crash.
• The shuffle would also hand Yuki Tsunoda a surprise F1 return at Racing Bulls. Tsunoda made 89 starts for the team before his own short-lived promotion to Red Bull last year, and has been serving as reserve driver since losing that race seat at the end of 2025.
• Tsunoda has recently been linked to a potential IndyCar move for 2027, with reports suggesting he is in talks to join Meyer Shank Racing as Felix Rosenqvist returns to McLaren's IndyCar operation.

What's next:

Hadjar faces a race against time to prove his fitness before Friday practice at Zandvoort. If he is forced to sit out the weekend, he will have two full weeks to recover before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, giving Red Bull a small buffer to settle its lineup. The team must now finalize contingency plans, with Lawson and Tsunoda on standby for a potential inter-team swap that would add another chapter to Red Bull's turbulent recent driver history.