Isack Hadjar seems to have adapted lightning-fast at Red Bull. The young Parisian made the switch to the main team this year after a successful debut season at Racing Bulls. In three Grands Prix, Hadjar may have scored World Championship points once, but he particularly excels in qualifying. Remarkable, given the fact that many young drivers have paled in comparison to Max Verstappen in recent years. Team principal Laurent Mekies is therefore impressed by his protégé.
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“You find him in the factory almost every day,” Mekies told the Beyond the Grid podcast. The 21-year-old driver moved to England to spend as much time as possible in Milton Keynes. “He spends long days in the simulator to understand all the technical aspects of the car. He is incredibly ambitious. I think he even flew back between the two winter tests in Bahrain to continue working in the simulator. So yes, his dedication is admirable. But honestly: for him, it doesn’t feel like effort.”
According to Mekies, that commitment is not an obligation, but pure drive. “This is his greatest passion,” he explained. “This is something he has dreamed of for a long time. For us, it is a dream to spend time in the simulator or with the engineers, and he does so with full dedication. Moreover, the first races have already shown that it is paying off.” During his first race weekend at Red Bull, Hadjar immediately secured third place on the grid. “I think he still remembers his first qualifying with us well: that third place in Melbourne,” said Mekies. “But the season is still long and will undoubtedly have its peaks and valleys.”
Too early for comparison with Verstappen
The team principal emphasizes that development is central. “We believe that drivers continue to develop, and we expect Isack to do so this year as well. We are convinced that he has the talent and the right attitude to take those steps.” At the same time, he points to the challenges of the current regulations, where both teams and drivers are still fully searching for the optimal approach. The bar is set high for Hadjar himself. “He is extremely competitive, but that is exactly what is needed. All fast drivers are like that. The same goes for teams: no one is truly satisfied until they win.”
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Yet Mekies warns against premature comparisons with teammate Max Verstappen. “You cannot compare them,” he stated sharply. “Ten years of Formula 1 and four world titles versus a second season and a first year at a top team: it’s simply not the same. Both describe the car and the balance in a disciplined way,” Mekies admitted. “But it is logical that Isack, given his limited experience, focuses primarily on his feel for the car. Max, on the other hand, after so many years and successes, goes a step further: he links his feeling directly to what he believes is the cause of a problem.”
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