According to Red Bull’s top advisor, Helmut Marko, Racing Bulls’ driver Isack Hadjar has been the absolute revelation of this first phase of the championship. Initially, expectations for the French-Algerian talent were not very high, but after a single mistake during the opening race in Australia, Hadjar has bounced back well. Where Marko was previously critical of his performances, the 82-year-old Austrian has since changed his tune.
Despite the turbulent start to the season for Racing Bulls, due to the sudden driver switch at Red Bull, Isack Hadjar — somewhat unexpectedly — provided stability for Red Bull’s subsidiary team. The young driver began his Formula 1 career somewhat naively, but is now impressing experts and top advisor Helmut Marko. After a painful dropout in the opening round of the Australian GP, Hadjar was heavily criticized; Marko called it a “humiliating display” at the time.
But credit where credit is due: Marko’s tone regarding Isack Hadjar has since radically changed. The 20-year-old Parisian has bounced back impressively, scoring points finishes in Suzuka and Jeddah. It is clear that Hadjar — especially for an inexperienced Formula 1 driver — possesses a lot of speed. Comparing him to his teammate is not easy, as he only got company from Liam Lawson halfway through, but so far he has been able to keep up with the New Zealander quite well.
‘Lawson and Hadjar on Par’
“Let’s talk about the Racing Bulls,” began Helmut Marko in his column for Speedweek. “Liam Lawson is doing well. In Jeddah, he was slightly faster than Isack Hadjar, and in the race, they were more or less on par,” said Marko. “The New Zealander is completely acclimated, but in my opinion, Hadjar is the revelation of this first phase of the world championship. He was unfamiliar with most of the circuits, but from the start, he was always fast and made few mistakes — except for the opening round in Melbourne.”
“Hadjar performs notably in the races where many rookies struggle,” Marko continued. “He consistently posts good lap times and knows how to control his tires excellently. Moreover, he always seems relatively calm.” However, the situation at Red Bull is never without pressure. For now, Isack Hadjar has a one-year contract, and thus he will need to continue performing to secure a new collaboration. The team management is very enthusiastic about Formula 2 talent Arvid Lindblad. The 17-year-old is considered one of the biggest talents of the training program and has already completed several test days for the team.
