ISACK HADJAR RED BULL CONFESSION LEADS TO RACING BULLS RESPONSE

Isack Hadjar does not believe he is “ready” right now to make the step up to Red Bull if the call came.

However, that is not an opinion shared by Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies, who said a driver is “always ready” to jump “into a faster car.”

Isack Hadjar to Red Bull: Ready or not?

Hadjar was one of six rookies to take their place on the F1 2025 grid and has emerged as arguably the cream of the crop, scoring 21 points across his opening 10 rounds with Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls.

Such form has led to talk of a future promotion to Red Bull Racing for Hadjar, with Yuki Tsunoda struggling to impress since replacing Liam Lawson at the senior team.

However, when speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Hadjar said that though he would not reject a Red Bull call-up, as Nico Rosberg had urged him to do, he does not feel prepared.

“It’s a bit scary, but I wouldn’t feel ready,” he told Sky Sports on the idea of a promotion to the senior Red Bull team.

“It looks to be complicated when I look at Yuki and Liam, who are very quality drivers.

“So no, I’m not very ready.”

But, that is not an opinion shared by his Racing Bulls boss.

“He’s in a very important growth phase now,” Mekies said of Hadjar to Sky Italia. “But a driver is always ready to get into a faster car.”

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Included in the extensive list of Red Bull figures to be left impressed with Hadjar’s start to F1 life is Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull’s driver programme and the team’s senior advisor.

“Hadjar is the big surprise,” he declared to the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“Everywhere we come, immediately he’s on speed, and everywhere he provides a super performance.

“We knew he’s fast, but that he is so consistent, and that he is driving relatively easy, it’s also a surprise for us.”

However, Mekies suggested that Marko, perhaps, was the only one within Red Bull who saw this coming from Hadjar all along.

After an underwhelming rookie Formula 2 season, Hadjar was given another chance by Marko and took it, finishing runner-up in the 2024 F2 Championship and taking to Formula 1 like a duck to water.

“He’s having an extraordinary season,” said Mekies.

“Maybe only Helmut Marko expected all of this.”

Sixth in Monaco represents Hadjar’s strongest result so far, one of five points-scoring finishes.

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2025-06-21T12:27:09Z