For Isack Hadjar, the Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort is one he will never forget. The French-Algerian rookie achieved his best qualifying result in his Formula 1 career on Saturday – a fourth place – and completed the celebration on Sunday with his first podium finish. The fact that Max Verstappen stood next to him during the trophy ceremony was the icing on the cake for Hadjar.
“I didn’t expect to finish on the podium when I woke up this morning,” says a beaming Isack Hadjar after the race. Prior to the Dutch GP, his sixth place in Monaco was the best result of the Racing Bulls driver. “Especially since there were two Ferraris and George Russell in a Mercedes behind me. I knew that Charles (Leclerc, ed.) would also try to overtake me, but I was able to defend in the right way. Only towards the end of the race did I dare to think: ‘If something happens in front of me now, I’ll be on the podium.'”
‘After Australia, I thought my life was over’
In the final stages of the race, it was Lando Norris who had the misfortune to help Hadjar to his podium. The McLaren driver came to a standstill off the track due to problems with his MCL39, thereby evaporating his own spot on the podium. Hadjar knows all too well what it’s like not to be able to finish a race. The rookie himself did not cross the finish line during the first race of the year in Melbourne. “After what happened in Australia, I thought my life was over. I then realized that retirements can happen, and I came back stronger. To finish on the podium so quickly in my debut year, I certainly did not expect.”
The fact that Hadjar ended up next to Verstappen makes the celebration complete for the French-Algerian. “Max is someone I’ve looked up to since my karting days,” Hadjar continues. “To drive right behind him the entire race and then share the podium with him, that’s very special.”
