French driver Isack Hadjar will miss this Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after fracturing a wrist during the summer break. Red Bull Racing has confirmed a temporary reshuffle: Liam Lawson rises to the main team, while Yuki Tsunoda takes the RB seat. The team expects Hadjar to return for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Break That Changed the Grid

The Formula 1 season resumed after the traditional summer pause, but Red Bull Racing's comeback hit a major snag: Isack Hadjar, the team's 21-year-old French prodigy, is officially out of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The team announced that the driver suffered a wrist injury during his summer training—specifically, according to BBC reports, a fracture sustained while boxing, one of his favorite cross-training activities.

Hadjar, currently sitting 8th in the Drivers' Championship with 68 points, is not only missing a race; his injury creates a fascinating domino effect across the entire Red Bull structure.

The Immediate Moves

  • Liam Lawson will step up to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing for the Zandvoort round.
  • Yuki Tsunoda, who was relegated to a reserve role, will take Lawson's previous seat at Racing Bulls, the sister team.

Why Zandvoort Feels Familiar

Zandvoort is where Lawson made his F1 debut in 2023, stepping in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo. Now, another injury—this time a hand issue for Hadjar—hands him a surprise comeback to the top car.

Tsunoda’s Second Chance

Yuki Tsunoda, who lost his full-time seat after five seasons in the Red Bull orbit, gets an unexpected shot. The Japanese driver will take the wheel at Racing Bulls on a circuit he knows well. Red Bull officials have said the expectation is that Hadjar will return for the next round in Monza on September 6, making this a one-race stand-in stint.

The swap echoes the 2025 controversy when Lawson was dropped after just two races, replaced by Tsunoda—a decision credited to former advisor Helmut Marko.

Wider Impact in the Championship

With the F1 circus heading to the dunes of Zandvoort, Argentine fans have an extra subplot to track: Franco Colapinto (Alpine) will now face a newly motivated Lawson and Tsunoda in the midfield battle. The return of two hungry drivers pushes the pack closer.

Here’s a quick look at where they stand in the standings:

DriverPointsPosition
Isack Hadjar688th
Liam Lawson439th
Yuki TsunodaReserve role—