Hadjar’s Baku Podium Return Praised by Red Bull’s Mekies

Key Takeaways

A Podium on Return

Isack Hadjar finished P3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, marking his second podium of the 2026 season. The result came in his first race back with Red Bull after missing three rounds due to a wrist injury, and it followed a qualifying session in which he lined up P4 on the Baku street circuit.

Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies described the weekend in glowing terms, telling written media after the race that Hadjar’s return had exceeded expectations both physically and on pace.

Mekies Praises a ‘Seamless’ Comeback

Laurent Mekies said Hadjar’s comeback weekend was “outstanding,” pointing first to the fact that the Frenchman felt no pain in the car. “I think it was outstanding what Isack has produced this weekend, really outstanding,” Mekies said. “At first, the most important thing is that straight away he felt good in the car, no pain.”

Mekies noted that the team had prioritised a full recovery before returning Hadjar to the cockpit, and that patience paid off at one of the sport’s most unforgiving venues. “It means that every time we met together in the last few weeks and we said we will wait for Isack to come back at 100% because that’s the priority, well, that’s what happened,” he said. “He was in the car, he didn’t have any pain. Nonetheless, even without pain, this is not an easy track to come back to because there is no margin for error.”

Building Rhythm Session by Session

Hadjar steadily increased his pace across the Baku weekend without pushing past his limits, according to Mekies. “He has been building up his rhythm, session after session, very calmly, and with a lot of positive energy,” Mekies said.

The Red Bull boss singled out qualifying as an early sign of Hadjar’s readiness. “Already yesterday, to stick the car in P4 was a very, very strong result,” he said. “I think today, the sort of race pace that he has shown on the medium and on the soft, is something we had not seen before.”

Raising the Bar Again

Mekies said Hadjar continued to add value to the team’s performance throughout the 2026 season, including on his return weekend in Baku. “So on the weekend of his return, he has raised the bar again,” Mekies said. “We say to each other very often that we have seen him adding something to the business every time he was going out on track in the first part of the season, and he is continuing to do that.”

Mature Radio Communication with Verstappen

Hadjar’s handling of team radio instructions during a difficult first stint alongside Max Verstappen drew additional praise from Red Bull. When asked to cede position to Verstappen, Hadjar complied without pushback, a moment of teamwork that reinforced the composed impression he left throughout the Baku weekend.

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