Isack Hadjar made his mark at the Dutch Grand Prix as he achieved his maiden podium, with his rivals on the Formula 1 grid commending both his skill and determination.
It was a moment of unexpected triumph for Hadjar, who became just the second rookie in 2025 to claim a podium, a significant step for Racing Bulls – its first since Baku 2021.
The Racing Bulls driver’s hopes for a podium truly began on Saturday, where, after a stunning qualifying session, Hadjar would line up on Sunday for a career-best fourth place.
As the lights went out, Hadjar maintained his position despite George Russell and Charles Leclerc fighting for fifth behind him.
As the race progressed, the Frenchman kept his head down, focusing on keeping himself ahead of a closing Charles Leclerc.
The breakthrough came on Lap 53, when Lando Norris slowed on the side of the track with smoke billowing from his MCL39. With Norris out of the race, Hadjar inherited third.
Post-race, a wave of support and praise from F1 drivers, including Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, and Hadjar’s team-mates, underscored his skill as a rookie in a midfield car.
Being a part of the Red Bull family for the entirety of his F1 career, Verstappen uniquely understands the mechanism that put Hadjar in the position he is in.
“It’s fantastic. Honestly, coming in as a rookie is not easy with these cars,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“For him to be on the podium here is fully deserved. I think he had a great weekend, but also drove a great race.
He went on to congratulate Racing Bulls, adding: “Of course, also for the team, I think the whole season already they have been on it. And Isack is then finishing the job, and that’s just fantastic to see.”
Echoing Verstappen’s sentiments, both Hadjar’s current and past team-mates at Racing Bulls lavished praise on his exceptional performance at Zandvoort.
Liam Lawson congratulated his current stable on the “massive” result as he looked to a promising future for the Faenza-based squad.
“It’s massive. You know, obviously, we’re pushing every weekend, and something like this can give that little bit more motivation to everybody to keep working hard as they have been all year.” Lawson said.
“From our side, obviously, it shows the performance of the car. We’ve been in Q3 both quite consistently recently and always felt that our race pace was quite good. So, for Isack to start in front of some quick guys today and stay in front shows the race pace as well.”
Tsunoda, who began the campaign alongside Hadjar, noted the work he saw Racing Bulls put in during the off-season, before his subsequent promotion to Red Bull.
“I mean, you know, fantastic job for VCARB. The amount of work they put into it over the off-season since last year is massive,” he expressed.
He went on to say, “I clearly felt it when I first raced in qualifying. The amount of performance you had in this car. And able to still, you know, consistently performing with the upgrades and everything. Maximum performance, and grabbed the podium. So, massive congrats to him and obviously VCARB as well.”
Why Hadjar’s podium was a historic moment for France
Hadjar’s podium not only marked a personal milestone but also a historic moment for French drivers.
At 20 years, 11 months and 3 days old, he became the youngest French driver to stand on the F1 podium.
Ocon took the opportunity to comment on the milestone of his fellow countryman. The Haas driver claimed Hadjar “outperformed” the Racing Bulls beneath him.
“Very happy for Isack as a fellow Frenchman. It’s awesome that he managed to be on the podium,” he shared.
“He’s been doing a super good job; he’s fully ready to perform. And that’s been awesome to see. He’s overperformed the car, and well done to him.”
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