Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar believes he couldn’t produce “a better comeback” than finishing third at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Having initially lost fourth to Lando Norris at the start, Hadjar recovered to third by lap seven when he swapped positions with teammate – Max Verstappen and sat behind the former four-time champion as the pair struggled to overtake Oscar Piastri.
Hadjar however benefitted from a mistake by Piastri on lap 40 to snatch third which he held to the checkered flag for his second podium of the season, having sat out the last three rounds with a wrist injury which meant that third place felt like an ideal comeback in the Frenchman’s view.
“You can’t really ask for a better comeback than that. The car has been competitive throughout the week and all over the track, so we had the pace to really challenge and be exactly where we wanted to be.
“Our approach was key to a strong week; taking it step-by-step allowed me to build confidence and then the lap time comes with that. Ending it with P3 is a really pleasing result. It was a demanding track to make a return at, but once I got into a flow I felt like I never left.”
The 21-year-old also relished his battle against Verstappen in the opening stint whilst pleased to properly play the number-two driver role in their scrap against Piastri.
“The race was great. I enjoyed myself out there; the car was very nice to drive and battling with Max was fun too. He’s been so strong all weekend and I was happy to stay behind him, as I knew the Soft was the superior tyre and he showed that at the end.”
Verstappen finished second and just 0.196 seconds shy of beating race winner, George Russell which meant that Red Bull claimed their first double podium since the 2024 Chinese GP, with Hadjar happy to have rewarded the team’s patience in his recovery immediately.
“A double podium is an awesome result. It’s the first in a while for the team, so I’m very happy for everyone. They deserve it.”
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