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Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull debut was always going to be heavy under the spotlight considering the recent track record of Max Verstappen’s teammates, and Helmut Marko has issued a verdict on how the Frenchman compared to his predecessors in Australia.
Helmut Marko was renowned for his no-nonsense attitude inside the F1 paddock during his over two-decade-long career as the special advisor to Red Bull Racing.
He often came under fire for his blunt demeanour, with Marko’s comments about Isack Hadjar’s crash on his F1 debut last year leading to a scolding for the Austrian from fans on social media.
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However, Marko isn’t one to shy away from dishing out praise to any deserving drivers and has hailed Hadjar’s performance at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, which ended in misery after an engine issue forced the 21-year-old into an early retirement.
Helmut Marko thinks Isack Hadjar is Max Verstappen’s closest teammate since Sergio Perez
In an interview with Austrian outlet Krone, Marko was asked for his thoughts on how Hadjar performed during his debut with the frontrunning Red Bull outfit following an impressive rookie campaign last year.
It has been reported that Red Bull promoted Hadjar after Marko was blown away by his attention to detail.
The Frenchman’s step-up was one of Marko’s final moves at Red Bull, and it has the potential to also be one of his best.
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“His qualifying lap was superb, but unfortunately, he then had a technical problem in the race,” Marko said in response to the query.
“His goal must be to learn, not to beat Max [Verstappen]. But he is probably the one who is closest to Verstappen, apart from [Sergio] Perez at his peak.”
Marko also highlighted his satisfaction with Red Bull’s first completely in-house developed F1 engine, which proved to be up to scratch apart from Hadjar’s unfortunate retirement.
He added, “The engine was reliable and competitive. That deserves praise, because some had doubted it beforehand.”
- READ MORE: Helmut Marko privately told Racing Bulls that Arvid Lindblad is just as good as Isack Hadjar
Helmut Marko notes how ‘difficult’ it was to sign Arvid Lindblad to the Red Bull junior team
F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad also made his debut with Racing Bulls at the Australian Grand Prix, and he was mightily impressive.
The 18-year-old secured points on his first foray in F1, taking the chequered flag in P8 as he took first blood against Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls teammate battle.
The highlight of Lindblad’s debut was his battle with Max Verstappen, which led Martin Brundle to praise the young rookie for being able to resist the extreme pressure that the four-time world champion was asserting on him.
Marko, too, praised Lindblad’s efforts, noting how he always thought he was a “special” talent.
During his interview with the Austrian publication, Marko revealed, “I first met him personally in Portugal when I was 13 and always said he was something special.
“Signing him was difficult to achieve, but now he’s a hero to everyone.”
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