(Motorsport-Total.com) – MotoGP legend Marc Marquez has personally advised F1 talent Isack Hadjar against a rushed return to the cockpit. The young Frenchman originally wanted to start at the Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury in the gym. However, on the advice of the Spanish motorcycle world champion, the Red Bull driver is now skipping the race.
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The contact between the two professional athletes was made through their mutual physiotherapist Carlos J. García. After his accident, Hadjar picked up the phone to get the advice of the Spaniard.
Marquez, who has already survived fractures of the upper arm and thumb, dislocated shoulders, and double vision in his career, warned the Frenchman against hasty medical interventions. Given Hadjar’s young age and a long career ahead in Formula 1, fully recovering from the injury is the only sensible path.
Marquez knows what he is talking about. The Spaniard, considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest motorcycle racer of all time, had a serious accident in 2020. Only five days later, he got back on the motorcycle but ultimately had to pause for about a year and undergo three surgeries.
Red Bull fully supports Marquez’s recommendation and also prescribes a break for the youngster. Team principal Laurent Mekies makes it clear that no risks will be taken with Max Verstappen’s teammate:
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“Isack is doing well. We have no reason to take any risk with him. He had a fantastic start to the season, he got stronger every time he drove this car out of the garage – session after session, weekend after weekend. We are taking zero risks, letting him focus on his recovery this weekend and hope to have him back in the car very, very soon.”
When Hadjar will be back in the RB22 depends on the further healing process. The team is currently targeting the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Mekies tells Sky: “It is still too early to say definitively, but our goal is to have him back in the car in Monza.”
Due to Hadjar’s injury-related withdrawal from Zandvoort, the already known driver shuffle in the Red Bull squad got underway: Liam Lawson took over the second cockpit in the main team at short notice, while Yuki Tsunoda was brought back from vacation to take Lawson’s place at Racing Bulls.
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