Twenty-year-old Isack Hadjar has proven his adaptability to the complex world of Formula 1 and has exceeded his team, Racing Bulls’, expectations faster than anticipated, all within just four Grand Prix races.
In merely five weeks and four Grand Prix races, Isack Hadjar has already experienced nearly everything. From the disappointment of veering off the track during his warm-up lap in his Australian debut, to the satisfaction of advancing to Q3 twice and scoring his first points in Formula 1 (8th in Japan).
At Racing Bulls, which has seen a plethora of young drivers flourish under its various names, they are already impressed by the driver’s swift adaptation and the natural simplicity of the 20-year-old Parisian. This includes his boss and his engineer, who are both amazed by their compatriot.
Laurent Mekies (Racing Bulls’ boss): “Above the rest”
Chief engineer at Toro Rosso until 2014, Laurent Mekies returned to the Red Bull fold last year after stints at FIA and Ferrari. Now at the helm of the team, now known as Racing Bulls, he mentors his young compatriot who, in his opinion, is making a debut that is “far exceeding expectations.”
“We knew he was fast, but he arrived at the Bahrain tests with very little F1 driving experience behind him and despite this, we could see from the first laps in Melbourne that his speed was much higher than we could have hoped for given his level of experience. And he was able to replicate this in China and Japan. In terms of his approach with the team, he is again exceeding expectations. From the first contact, we could see that he is grounded, very open, humble, almost shy. The way and the desire to learn that he has shown during these four months, the way he has managed to transform himself into a sponge, forming his opinion after listening, is something that is still above the rest, as is his energy and motivation.”
Laurent Mekies
“He is not the type to get carried away, which is a significant indicator of inner strength.”
Resilience and Potential in Formula 1
“He has already experienced the highs and lows of Formula 1, so his resilience, reaction, and ability to reset in both good and bad times have been tested. He has handled everything that has come his way, including his off-track incident in Melbourne, with great clarity. In F1, you get used to taking hits, and the resilience you show in these moments is an important factor. In this area too, he is well-equipped. As for moments of euphoria, like qualifying in China (7th) or the race in Japan (8th), he is not one to get carried away, which is a significant indicator of inner strength. Our responsibility is to create an environment around him that will allow him to continue to progress, to help him flourish and express himself so that the steps forward he has within him can come out as soon as possible and as often as possible.”
Pierre Hamelin (his track engineer) : “An incredible potential”
The track engineer, who has previously worked with young bulls like Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Daniel Ricciardo, is now guiding this already astonishing novice from the pit wall, during technical debriefings, or in the simulator.
“We did not expect him to be this fast so early in the season. We spent a lot of time together in the simulator, we prepared very well and it’s paying off. He is very passionate and for his age and experience, he assimilates very well what we explain to him. His level of understanding and feedback is quite robust. When we explain something to him, there is no need to tell him twice. He absorbs information really well. For example, during a race weekend, he is able to remember something we discussed in a meeting two months ago.”
One of the things that works very well is that as a young driver, he is able to adapt remarkably to the car we give him, compensating for a slight lack to achieve a good time. As engineers, what we like to see are these somewhat magical laps, where when we look at the data we think the car seems very complicated to drive, and on the screens, we see a superb performance. It’s always impressive. Isack has already pulled off several of these laps where you say ‘wow’ at the end and we think that if he can do this all the time, there is quite an incredible potential to tap into.
Pierre Hamelin
“We will have to take a turn and really make a car that is ‘Isack’ type”
For now, he is still in a phase where he is adapting, but to have the fastest car, we will have to move to the next stage which involves having a driver who understands exactly what he needs to go fast everywhere and all the time. We have two cars that are quite close in terms of settings, but at some point, we will have to take a turn and really make a car that is ‘Isack’ type. Regarding his ability to contain his emotions during the race, especially in radio communications, it’s a pleasant surprise. I had researched a lot about his fiery side and I was told that I had to be quite strict with him and not let him go into this kind of explosion. Making him understand that it was not possible to act like this in F1 was part of my preparation with him and so far it’s going well. But he hasn’t had an explosion of joy either because only the first place can satisfy him.
I am therefore trying to make him understand that when he does qualifiers like in Japan or China (7th each time), we are very happy in the garage because it’s not easy to get there and he should not forget that. He needs to share these moments of joy with the people around him to motivate them for the next day’s race, for the following weekend. Because we need that.”
Gasly: “I’m happy for him”
“I know Isack well (they share the same manager), he’s obviously someone I follow closely and he’s really having a top start to the season. We had no doubt about his speed, but when you switch to F1 there’s a lot of information to take in. It’s a different environment, there’s a lot to learn in a first season and I must say that so far he has been very impressive. He has had the right attitude, the right approach. So I’m happy for him.”
