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Isack Hadjar became Red Bull’s saviour on Saturday in Melbourne after Max Verstappen’s crash in Q1.
On paper, it looked like Red Bull’s qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix was over at the end of the opening qualifying session of the season.
Max Verstappen had a dramatic crash in the first qualifying session and will start from 20th on the grid on Sunday. However, Isack Hadjar was able to save Red Bull’s Saturday as he progressed through the qualifying sessions.
The Frenchman made his debut with Red Bull this weekend, and Hadjar will start from the second row of the grid in third place for the Australian Grand Prix.
P3 in qualifying for Isack Hadjar on his Red Bull debut!
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Isack Hadjar is a ‘real positive’ for Red Bull alongside Verstappen
During the BBC 5 Live coverage of the Formula 1 qualifying sessions at the Australian Grand Prix, former Mercedes engineer Marc Priestley discussed Hadjar.
Priestley believes that Hadjar may be the second driver that Red Bull have been looking for as he was able to pick up the pieces for Red Bull after Verstappen’s crash.
The French driver was the closest challenger to Mercedes on Saturday, and could be in the podium fight during the opening Grand Prix of the season.
Priestley said, “That is exactly what Red Bull have been missing. On those rare days when Verstappen doesn’t turn up, or Verstappen has a problem, or some kind of issue, they need a second driver to be able to deliver, and they have not had that for such a long time.
“This will be a real positive for them; they know that Verstappen has the pace, they clearly had an issue with that particular car. If they can get on top of that, could this be a Red Bull team that have two drivers in the fight. Something that they have desperately been looking for, for so long.”
Half a second between Mercedes and the rest
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Can Isack Hadjar end the second driver curse at Red Bull?
The second driver seat has become a cursed position at Red Bull in recent years, as the teammate to Max Verstappen has struggled ever since he became the number one driver.
In recent years, the likes of Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda have all struggled alongside Verstappen at Red Bull. However, there is a different feeling about Hadjar.
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, former Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner discussed Hadjar and how the new Red Bull management will be helpful for the French driver.
The new Red Bull team boss, Laurent Mekies, has discussed the importance of creating the ‘right environment’ around Hadjar when he is under pressure.
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