Isack Hadjar returned from six weeks away with a third-place finish in Baku, calling it his first Formula 1 podium earned purely through pace.

Hadjar returns with a podium in Baku

Isack Hadjar could hardly have asked for a better return to Formula 1.

After missing the previous three Grands Prix because of a wrist injury, the Red Bull driver returned at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished third. He had also qualified fourth after building his confidence throughout the weekend.

The result gave Red Bull a double podium in Baku. Max Verstappen finished second behind race winner George Russell, while Hadjar completed the top three.

Isack Hadjar celebrates his third-place finish in Baku after returning from a six-week injury layoff.

Hadjar described the weekend as a gradual process.

Baku leaves very little room for mistakes. The circuit combines long straights with tight corners and barriers close to the racing line.

Because of that, Hadjar did not try to recover his lost confidence immediately.

“It was a very slow build-up, but it brought me here.”

The approach worked.

Hadjar stayed close to Verstappen during the race and eventually moved into third when Oscar Piastri locked up at Turn 1 and ran into the escape area.

Why this podium feels different to Hadjar

The third-place finish was not Hadjar’s first Formula 1 podium.

It was his third career podium, but he considers Baku the first one that came from pure pace.

His previous podiums came at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix with Racing Bulls, after Lando Norris retired, and at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix with Red Bull, where Pierre Gasly’s penalties promoted Hadjar into third.

That explains the importance of Baku.

This time, Hadjar qualified strongly, kept a competitive rhythm throughout the race and overtook Piastri after pressuring the McLaren driver.

“I’m very, very happy for an actual first proper podium on pure pace.”

Hadjar joined Max Verstappen on the podium as Red Bull secured its first double podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.

The result was also important for Red Bull.

The team had both cars on the podium for the first time since China 2024. Hadjar’s performance added another positive element to Verstappen’s second-place finish.

The Frenchman also showed strong race management.

After Verstappen moved ahead during the opening stint, Hadjar remained close to his teammate. He later put pressure on Piastri while managing his own tires and avoiding unnecessary risks.

That was particularly relevant given his recent absence.

Hadjar’s wrist held up over 51 laps

The physical side of the comeback was another important test.

Hadjar had been away from Formula 1 for approximately six weeks after injuring his wrist while training during the summer break. He missed Zandvoort, Monza and the Madrid race.

The Baku race therefore provided the first opportunity to test the wrist over a full Grand Prix distance.

Hadjar completed all 51 laps.

He said afterward that the wrist was still somewhat numb, but he was satisfied with how it handled the race.

Hadjar returned to the Red Bull cockpit in Baku after three missed Grands Prix.

The weekend also showed that the injury had not prevented Hadjar from immediately finding speed.

Red Bull reported that the driver felt competitive in the car despite limited running during Thursday practice because of a gearbox issue. By qualifying, he was fourth on the grid and ahead of Verstappen.

Team principal Laurent Mekies was also impressed by the comeback.

He described Hadjar’s performance as “outstanding” and highlighted the driver’s calm approach to rebuilding his rhythm at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.

A return built around patience

Hadjar’s Baku weekend was not only about the final result.

His method was clear from the opening sessions. He took time to understand the car again and gradually increased his pace.

That approach was particularly useful on a circuit where one small error can end a session.

It also allowed Hadjar to return without forcing the issue physically. By Saturday afternoon, he had converted that gradual progress into a podium.

The result leaves him with a strong start to the final phase of the season after his injury layoff.

Hadjar’s third-place finish in Baku was therefore significant for two reasons: it marked his return after six weeks away and, in his own words, gave him his first “proper” podium earned through pure pace.

Liam Lawson questioned the stewards’ decision not to penalize Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad after their collision during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restart.

Lawson was left frustrated after the Racing Bulls clash

Liam Lawson returned to Racing Bulls in Baku, but his comeback ended with frustration after contact with team-mate Arvid Lindblad during a Safety Car restart.

The incident happened at Turn 1 on Lap 37, shortly after the race resumed. Lindblad moved through the middle of traffic and made contact with the rear of Lawson’s car. Lawson spun and dropped down the order. He eventually finished 12th.

The stewards investigated the incident.

They decided to take no further action, saying the available space for Lindblad was limited and that the situation was influenced by the chain reaction ahead.

Lawson returned to Racing Bulls after spending three Grands Prix at Red Bull Racing as a replacement for Isack Hadjar.

Lawson did not agree with the outcome.

He said his car was suffering from delayed power delivery at Turn 1 and that he was leaving room for another car when he was hit from the left.

“I don’t really know what gap he was looking for.”

Lawson also said the contact damaged the floor of his car. From his perspective, the move was difficult to understand.

He added that he would not protest against his own team-mate.

For Racing Bulls, however, the result was still positive. Lindblad recovered from the incident and continued in the race.

Lindblad apologised to Lawson

Lindblad immediately acknowledged the contact.

The rookie explained that the field had bunched up several times on the run to Turn 1. Drivers had accelerated and braked repeatedly before the actual restart, creating a complicated situation.

Lindblad said he attempted to pass Esteban Ocon but had to react when Ocon moved during braking. He then locked a front tire slightly and hit Lawson.

Lindblad was able to continue after the contact and eventually secured a major result in Baku.

Lindblad maintained that the contact was not intentional.

He also said the stewards’ decision supported his view that there was little he could have done differently once the cars converged at Turn 1.

The important point for Racing Bulls was that only one car suffered a major consequence.

Lindblad continued with little damage and began recovering positions. Lawson, by contrast, lost several places after the spin.

Lindblad turned the incident into seventh place

Despite the contact, Lindblad recovered strongly.

He passed Ocon on the final lap and finished seventh, beating the Haas driver by just 0.030 seconds.

That result gave Racing Bulls six valuable points.

It also had an impact on the battle with Alpine. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto both retired after their own collision at the same restart, allowing Racing Bulls to strengthen its position in the constructors’ fight.

The Baku restart produced several incidents, including the contact between the two Racing Bulls cars.

Lindblad admitted that Racing Bulls had not been particularly quick throughout the weekend.

The team struggled to progress through qualifying, and Lindblad started only 15th. Lawson qualified 12th.

That makes the seventh-place finish even more valuable for the team.

Lindblad described the result as a case of damage limitation. He also acknowledged that Racing Bulls benefited from the problems suffered by Alpine and other rivals.

Lawson accepts the team’s result

Lawson’s disappointment was therefore balanced by the team’s points haul.

He acknowledged that Racing Bulls had been slower than Alpine during the weekend, even though the final classification went in his team’s favor.

The New Zealander finished 12th, while Lindblad collected six points with seventh place.

For Lindblad, the immediate priority is now understanding why the car lacked pace in Baku.

For Lawson, the focus will be on recovering from the lost result and rebuilding momentum after his three-race stint with Red Bull.

The Liam Lawson-Arvid Lindblad clash in Baku ended with no FIA penalty, an apology from Lindblad and a frustrating race for Lawson. Racing Bulls, however, still left Azerbaijan with six important points and seventh place in the Grand Prix.

Alpine has again condemned online abuse after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, calling for respect toward drivers, teams, media and the wider Formula 1 community.

Alpine speaks out after the Baku controversy

Alpine has issued another statement against online hate and abuse following the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The statement came one day after Franco Colapinto’s crash with Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris at the Baku City Circuit. The incident happened during a Safety Car restart and ended the race for all three drivers.

Colapinto locked his front tires into Turn 1 and hit Gasly. The two Alpine cars then collected Norris as the McLaren driver arrived at the corner.

Colapinto’s mistake at the first Safety Car restart ended the races of both Alpine drivers and Lando Norris.

Colapinto immediately accepted responsibility.

He apologized to Alpine, Gasly, Norris and the factory team, saying he had locked up and lost control of the car.

The FIA stewards later found Colapinto wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision. Because he retired from the race, his 10-second penalty was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Norris’ comments added another layer

The sporting controversy continued after the race.

Lando Norris criticized the incident and called for a race ban for Colapinto. The McLaren driver also said that some drivers should not be in Formula 1 after being eliminated from the race.

Those comments were followed by a large number of hostile messages online.

The abuse was not limited to Norris or Colapinto. Other members of the Formula 1 community, teams and media accounts were also targeted.

That is what prompted Alpine to issue its new statement.

Lando Norris was one of the drivers caught up in the restart collision at Baku.

Alpine stressed that its message was not aimed at any particular fanbase.

Instead, the team said online abuse is a wider problem across Formula 1 and should be rejected by fans regardless of which driver or team they support.

The team also expressed solidarity with Formula 1, the FIA and rival teams.

Alpine said it wants to help find ways to reduce abuse and promote the kind of sporting rivalry that is part of Formula 1’s identity.

Alpine says the problem has become recurrent

This is not the first time Alpine has addressed online abuse during the 2026 season.

The team previously released a statement after other incidents involving Colapinto and rival drivers. Alpine has now described the latest wave of abuse as part of a pattern that has appeared repeatedly during recent races.

The latest statement therefore goes beyond the Baku crash itself.

Alpine’s message focuses on the difference between sporting criticism and personal abuse. The team accepts that incidents on track will generate debate, but rejects hateful or abusive reactions directed at individuals.

Colapinto and Gasly remain Alpine’s 2026 driver pairing, while the team deals with the fallout from the Baku incident.

The sporting consequences of Baku will continue into the next round.

Colapinto will carry his five-place grid penalty into the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Alpine must also move forward without the points it appeared to have been in position to score with both cars.

For the team, however, the immediate issue extends beyond the championship table.

Alpine wants the conversation around the Baku crash to remain focused on the incident itself, its sporting consequences and the lessons that can be learned from it.

The Alpine online abuse statement after Baku makes that position clear: mistakes can happen when drivers compete at the limit, but criticism should not turn into personal attacks against drivers, teams, journalists or other members of the Formula 1 community.