Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has highlighted the striking Max Verstappen trait that Isack Hadjar has showcased during his debut Formula 1 campaign.
Barring his opening race in Australia, where he spectacularly crashed out, Hadjar has consistently been the top driver at Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls.
Scoring 38 points in his first 18 races – including a maiden podium finish at Zandvoort – his impressive 2025 campaign has not gone unnoticed by Marko.
The rookie Frenchman is widely touted for a promotion to Red Bull in 2026, with Marko doing little to silence the rumours that he will partner Verstappen.
Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix – where an engine issue cost him points – Marko praised Hadjar’s adaptability to tracks he has never visited before.
“Isack was very impressive,” Marko said.
“He took P1 after just two laps. He was already with the fastest cars, and he did a very good lap in FP2 as well. So, he’s progressing and he’s doing what we are expecting from him.
“I mean, it’s another advantage he has, and he proved it at nearly every circuit he came. He doesn’t need any warm-up or knowledge and so on. So, it’s similar to Max.”
Marko in a forgiving mood towards Lawson
While Hadjar continues to go from strength to strength, team-mate Liam Lawson saw another downturn in form in Singapore.
Friday saw a heavy impact with the barriers at Turn 7, requiring a complete car rebuild, which impacted his preparations.
FP3 saw a repeat crash, this time at Turn 13, putting the pressure on his mechanics to rebuild the car ahead of qualifying.
Racing Bulls pulled a rabbit out of the hat and completed just before qualifying, allowing Lawson to qualify 13th.
Marko acknowledged the crashes had dented his weekend, but praised the New Zealander’s bounce back in qualifying.
“He had a crash, but that can happen here. From his speed he was also competitive,” he addressed.
READ MORE – Why Isack Hadjar remains eager to please despite his Red Bull F1 future being secure
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