Helmut Marko’s private Isack Hadjar verdict before his F1 debut went completely against Red Bull’s feelings

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Isack Hadjar has made a name for himself at Red Bull in his debut Formula 1 campaign. His impressive performances have been capped off with his maiden podium at Zandvoort.

The Racing Bulls driver overcame a devastating debut race at Melbourne, where he crashed on the formation lap, to put in standout performances in the VCARB 02. Hadjar has made regular Q3 appearances and scored regular points.

The Frenchman has had the better of teammate Liam Lawson since he was demoted from Red Bull after just two races. While the Kiwi driver has improved his form in recent events, Hadjar has been that step above.

That was proven at the Dutch Grand Prix as he produced a stunning qualifying to line up fourth and finished an incredible P3 in the race. He was slightly fortuitous with Lando Norris suffering an engine failure, but he displayed solid race pace to fend off the likes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

Hadjar’s pre-season prediction has now aged brilliantly as he called that he would score a podium in 2025. He is proving a lot of doubters wrong, including from his own team.

Helmut Marko completely went against Red Bull’s doubts about Isack Hadjar as he ‘always believed in him’

The 20-year-old was promoted to F1 after Sergio Perez left Red Bull, with Lawson’s promotion opening a seat at Racing Bulls. However, Red Bull were initially ‘unsure’ about promoting Hadjar due to his previous outings in F1 cars.

Hadjar did not impress in private tests with Red Bull during his time in F2. Furthermore, many F1 figures felt Hadjar was too arrogant to step up, but he has always had one supporter.

Helmut Marko has referred to Hadjar as the mini Alain Prost, viewing the Frenchman’s talents very highly. Former Alpine boss Marcin Budkowski spoke to the Austrian before the season started, and the Red Bull chief believed that he would be capable of making the step to F1.

He said via F1 Nation: “I was having a chat with Helmut earlier in the year because I manage some young drivers, and so sometimes I have chats with people from teams to try and get them in a young driver programme.

“So I chat up regularly with Helmut about it, and I was telling him that I was impressed with Isack.

“And Helmut said: ‘Well, I’ve always believed in him and I thought he was great and he maybe didn’t have the best chances in F2 to show all his class.”

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

Isack Hadjar is now in line for a Red Bull seat in 2026

Hadjar’s performances are getting Red Bull to take notice as they continue to struggle with the second car. Yuki Tsunoda looks set to leave Red Bull at the end of the year, having scored just nine points since stepping into the car at Suzuka.

It has been widely reported that Hadjar is the favourite to replace Tsunoda. Marko had a ‘very telling’ reaction to the rumours as he stated that the Frenchman was ‘different’ from other Red Bull drivers and that he would handle the pressure of being Verstappen’s teammate.

Many people have raised concerns about the 20-year-old moving up to the Milton Keynes outfit, especially with how difficult the RB21 has proved to drive. But Hadjar says he is ‘ready for anything’, suggesting that he would take the promotion.

An F1 insider claims that Red Bull have already decided to promote Hadjar for 2026. Whether he will be the next driver to struggle in the second car is another question.