Isack Hadjar Secures Fourth in Baku Return
Isack Hadjar set a lap time of 1m43.500s in Q3 to qualify fourth for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, on his first appearance since July’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The Isack Hadjar Azerbaijan GP comeback put him behind only pole-sitter George Russell and second-placed Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes taking top spot on the grid.
Fourth on the grid is Hadjar’s best qualifying result since he lined up third at the season opener in Melbourne. He missed race weekends in Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid because of a wrist injury, a spell covered in our wrist injury recovery details, so Baku gave him his first taste of a grand prix weekend in two months.
Hadjar Credits Smart Approach and Car Progress After Injury Layoff
Hadjar gave a mixed verdict on his own session. “Nothing outstanding,” he said, before adding: “I just feel like I just need more laps in the car to actually be second on the grid. It’s quite close ahead.”
Asked what the weekend might have looked like without the enforced break, Hadjar was clear he rated his pace higher than the result suggested. He felt certain that a full run of races beforehand would have put him on the second row, and pointed to how unforgiving Baku is for a driver returning cold after such a long gap away from competitive action.
I just, you know, if I had been racing the last three races, then I would definitely be second on the grid. I just feel like it’s a tough track to come back to after two months.
He also described a deliberate strategy for building his way back into the car rather than pushing flat out from the first lap. Avoiding contact with the walls mattered more than chasing lap time early on, and he treated the tighter sections of the lap with caution before letting the car flow more naturally once his confidence returned.
For me, I told myself it’s mandatory not to touch the wall or anything. For a comeback, there’s no point taking a lot of risks, to be fair. So I was really driving a bit under the limits the whole weekend in like very tight sections. I think I just did that natural step in Q3.
By Q2 he felt confident enough to push harder. “But I had it really like under control and I started having a bit more fun at the end of Q2, I was actually taking risks and actually I went away for the first time this weekend, I had a lock-up,” Hadjar said. “So yeah, that was the smart approach.”
He was pleased with how the return had gone. “I’m happy with myself,” he said. The car had moved on since his last outing too. “It feels better in the corners than when I left the car in Budapest,” Hadjar added. “Definitely did a step on the balance. Just the behaviour of the car straightaway, lap one yesterday, I was like, this is better than just…”
Red Bull Driver Outqualifies Verstappen Amid Straight-Line Deficit
Hadjar’s lap put him ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen, who could only manage eighth in Q3. It’s a strong marker for a driver back after two months out, set against a team-mate who has raced every weekend this season.
Hadjar pointed to a clear gap on Baku’s long straights when asked where Red Bull still trails the field. “Mercedes are just fast in the straights, like just very fast. It’s not like they’re not fast in the corners, they’re the fastest still, but it’s just when you’re in the straight line in sector three, we’re struggling a lot,” he said.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Grid Set for Street Circuit Battle
Russell will start from pole, with Leclerc alongside him in second and Hadjar fourth on the grid. Verstappen lines up eighth, some way back from his team-mate. Hadjar spoke to reporters after the session, and his full post-qualifying reaction in Baku gives more detail on how the weekend came together.
Hadjar marked the occasion with a special Baku helmet design, and the result arrives amid separate reporting on his Red Bull contract situation. The Isack Hadjar Azerbaijan GP weekend continues on Sunday, when the race gets underway on the tight streets of Baku City Circuit.
