Red Bull has secured Isack Hadjar alongside Max Verstappen for the 2027 Formula 1 season, confirming a contract extension just as the Frenchman returns to racing at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The timing brings two strands of Red Bull’s season together. Hadjar is back in the RB22 after missing the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix with a wrist injury, while the team has now removed any uncertainty over his place beyond the end of 2026.
For a driver who only joined the senior Red Bull team this season, it is a significant show of confidence. His results before the injury explain why the decision has arrived now.
Red Bull locks in Hadjar for 2027
Red Bull confirmed the extension on Wednesday, completing its 2027 line-up with Hadjar alongside Verstappen, whose own deal runs through to the end of 2030.
Hadjar earned promotion to Red Bull after an impressive rookie campaign with Racing Bulls in 2025. His first season with the senior team has not been flawless, but his underlying pace has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Before his enforced absence, Hadjar had put together seven consecutive top-six finishes, including a podium on the streets of Monaco. He currently sits eighth in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship on 71 points.
Red Bull pointed to his speed, work ethic and racecraft when announcing the new deal. More importantly, the team is choosing continuity rather than reopening one of Formula 1’s most scrutinised seats for another driver-market cycle.
Watch: Hadjar on joining Red Bull
Earlier this season, Hadjar joined Oracle Red Bull Racing’s official Talking Bull podcast to discuss his move to the senior team, his first days at the factory and his approach to the 2026 campaign.
Verstappen welcomes the continuity
Max Verstappen has also backed the decision. Speaking in Baku, the four-time World Champion said retaining Hadjar “made perfect sense” and welcomed the opportunity for the pairing to continue into next season.
That matters for Red Bull. The second seat has repeatedly become a pressure point during the Verstappen era, with several drivers struggling to settle alongside him. Hadjar has instead shown enough pace and consistency for the team to commit before the current season is complete.
Formula 1’s official coverage of Verstappen’s reaction also underlines the value Red Bull sees in keeping its driver pairing stable as development increasingly turns towards 2027.
Hadjar returns in Baku after three races out
The contract news comes immediately before Hadjar’s racing return at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He injured his wrist while training during the summer break and subsequently missed Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid.
Liam Lawson stepped into the Red Bull seat during that period, while Yuki Tsunoda returned to Racing Bulls. With Hadjar now cleared to race, Lawson heads back to Racing Bulls and Tsunoda resumes reserve duties.
Hadjar has acknowledged that the wrist is not completely pain-free, but he has been cleared to return and will be back in the car from Thursday practice. Formula 1 confirmed his return earlier this week after Red Bull announced that his rehabilitation had progressed sufficiently for him to compete.
Tech Torque Media has followed the injury throughout the past month, including when Hadjar was ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix and Lawson remained in the Red Bull.
Baku is an immediate test
Returning at the Baku City Circuit is hardly a gentle reintroduction. The combination of long straights, heavy braking zones and tight walls leaves little margin for a driver rebuilding race rhythm after three weekends away.
The Azerbaijan weekend is also running one day earlier than Formula 1’s usual timetable. Practice takes place on Thursday, qualifying follows on Friday and the Grand Prix is on Saturday, meaning Hadjar has less time than usual to ease himself back into the weekend.
Our 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix preview has the wider championship picture and the key storylines to watch around Baku.
What the deal means for Red Bull
Red Bull’s decision gives the team something it has often lacked around its second car: certainty. Hadjar is still developing, but the team now knows who will sit alongside Verstappen next year and can plan around a pairing that already understands the current organisation.
It also removes Hadjar from a 2027 driver market that has already started moving. With the 2027 F1 calendar now confirmed, teams are increasingly looking beyond the current championship and locking down the pieces they want in place for next season.
Tech Torque Verdict
Hadjar’s extension is less about one standout result and more about the trajectory Red Bull has seen across the season. Seven consecutive top-six finishes and a Monaco podium gave the team evidence that he could deliver consistently before the wrist injury interrupted that momentum.
Now comes the harder part. The 2027 seat is secured, but Baku gives Hadjar an immediate chance to show how quickly he can return to the level that earned it.
