Hadjar’s radio response impresses Red Bull boss on Baku return

Isack Hadjar finished third on his return from injury in Azerbaijan, but his response to a team radio call particularly impressed Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies.

GPBeat · Newsroom27 Sept 2026, 23:30 · 1 min

Hadjar had missed three race weekends with a wrist injury. He qualified fourth in Baku and finished third, taking his second podium of the 2026 season. Mekies said Hadjar had returned without wrist pain and showed race pace on both medium and soft tyres that Red Bull had not previously seen from him.

During the first stint, Red Bull asked Hadjar to yield position to Max Verstappen. Asked how much faster he could go in clear air, Hadjar estimated two or three tenths of a second but said he was happy where he was, Autosport reported. When Autosport asked Mekies about the exchange after the race, the team principal said it showed Hadjar was racing intelligently and managing his emotions in the car.

Mekies also praised Hadjar’s tyre discipline and his cooperation with Verstappen and the pit wall. For the Red Bull boss, the podium reflected not just Hadjar’s pace after three weekends away, but the judgement he showed during the race.

Source context

The race-radio exchange is relayed in Ronald Vording’s Autosport report of 27 September 2026; Autosport also put the incident to Mekies after the race.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

Autosport reports that Isack Hadjar returned from a wrist injury after missing three race weekends. He qualified fourth in Baku and finished third; Autosport describes this as his second podium of the 2026 season and third Formula 1 podium overall.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hadjar’s return and Azerbaijan Grand Prix result 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend The podium counts are reported by Autosport; no separate season record was supplied.

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Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies told written media after the race that Hadjar had returned without wrist pain. Mekies judged Hadjar’s pace on both medium and soft tyres to be a step beyond what the team had previously seen from him; that comparison is Mekies’s assessment, not an independently established performance measure.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Team principal’s assessment of the return Post-race media session, 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix The source supplies Mekies’s remarks, not comparative telemetry.

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According to Autosport, Red Bull asked Hadjar to yield position to Max Verstappen during the first stint. When asked how much faster he could go in clear air, Hadjar answered ‘two or three tenths’ and said he was happy where he was. The figure is his radio estimate, not a measured time gain established by the supplied material.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Position swap and radio communication First stint, 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix The account and radio quotation come through Autosport; no standalone radio recording or transcript was supplied.

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After Autosport asked specifically about that radio moment, Mekies said it indicated that Hadjar was racing intelligently and showing greater emotional control. Mekies also credited Hadjar’s tyre discipline and cooperation with Verstappen and the pit wall. These are the team principal’s interpretations of the drive.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Why the exchange impressed Mekies Post-race media session, 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Mekies’s praise does not establish that the team’s strategy produced the objectively best possible result.

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Only Ronald Vording’s Autosport article was supplied and read. It includes Autosport’s account of the race and its direct post-race question to Mekies; there is no second publication from which to identify independent agreement, a different emphasis or a contradiction.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Source comparison Autosport publication dated 27 September 2026 Linked articles and other editions are not additional read sources.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.