Red Bull are yet to make a decision on whether Isack Hadjar will return from his injury at the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
The French-Algerian racing driver suffered an injury to his wrist following training during the summer break.
While eager to return to action at Zandvoort itself, Hadjar decided to sit out the Dutch GP after advice from reigning MotoGP Champion, Marc Marquez.
This meant Liam Lawson was called up to drive alongside Max Verstappen as Yuki Tsunoda filled up his spot at Racing Bulls.
Heading into the Italian GP weekend, the Milton-Keynes-based team are once again faced with the decision of pinning down its driver line up for Monza.
Multiple sources including Motorsport Week have learned that team will make its decision on Wednesday.
A lot to play for at Red Bull as F1’s silly season starts to take shape
Should Hadjar’s recovery take longer, Lawson is the prime candidate to jump back into the RB22, after a solid P7 finish at Zandvoort, last time out.
This would also mean that Tsunoda would get his second outing with the Faenza-based squad alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Both, Lawson and Tsunoda impressed on their return to Red Bull and F1, respectively.
Naturally, the decision to stick with its Zandvoort lineup would not be a tough pill to swallow for either Red Bull or Racing Bulls.
But the longer Hadjar stays on the sidelines, the more interesting the driver market starts looking for 2027 and beyond.
Tsunoda has made an open offer to F1 teams to seek his services in the cockpit next season.
With Max Verstappen having pledged his long-term future to Red Bull, it would appear that the Japanese racing driver might have to ply his trade elsewhere in the paddock after all.
Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov has also impressed with his exploits in F2 this season, leading the title race heading into Monza. The Bulgarian driver recently also drove for Racing Bulls in a TPC test at Imola.
The Faenza-based squad has named him “next in line” for a seat with the team, but the duo of Lawson and Lindblad haven’t given Racing Bulls a strong enough reason to disrupt the pairing in 2027.
A lot hinges on how the next few race weekends go as Hadjar hopes to make a speedy recovery back into the paddock.
READ MORE – MotoGP legend reveals crucial advice to Isack Hadjar after injury woe
Discussion about this post