Red Bull's Hadjar to make racing return at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

BAKU, Sept 22 : French driver Isack Hadjar will make his racing return alongside Max Verstappen for Red Bull at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix having recovered from the wrist injury that sidelined him from the last three races, the team said on Tuesday.

New Zealander Liam Lawson, who had stepped in for Hadjar, will return to Racing Bulls. Japanese racer Yuki Tsunoda, who filled Lawson's seat alongside British rookie Arvid Lindblad, is set to step back into his reserve role.

"Having made a successful recovery from his wrist injury, Isack will return to action at the Baku City Circuit on Thursday," Red Bull said in a statement.

"The team would like to sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication and hard work over the past three races.

"Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team."

Hadjar missed the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix.

Lawson, who started last year as Verstappen's Red Bull team mate before being demoted to Racing Bulls two races into the season, finished in the points in two of those three races.

The opening day of practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set for Thursday with the race on Saturday instead of the traditional Sunday slot due to the country's Remembrance Day.