F1 | Hadjar finishes fourth, Racing Bulls’ young star delivers career-best lap
Racing Bulls’ young debutant Isack Hadjar has quickly become the surprise of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix weekend, securing a stunning fourth place, ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes and both Ferraris. Let’s explore how Hadjar pulled off what he called the best lap of his career.
Amid the golden dunes of Zandvoort, the battle for the second row seemed set for the usual names: Red Bull, Mercedes, and Aston Martin, the latter aiming to be the weekend’s surprise. But when the checkered flag fell at the end of qualifying, a young and unexpected face broke the script. Isack Hadjar elevated his Racing Bulls to fourth position, just behind Max Verstappen.
Hadjar will remember this lap for a long time, calling it the best of his brief F1 career, which only started at the beginning of this season. It was a special achievement, coming at the perfect moment on a Saturday when he had struggled earlier in Q1 and Q2, even risking elimination.
The beauty of Formula 1 is captured in moments like this, when everything aligns and a single lap can completely transform the weekend, as it did for Hadjar. “I’m very happy, finally quite satisfied with what I did, so it was a good job from my side,” Hadjar said, recalling that in the past he has been overly self-critical, sometimes undervaluing his positive results.
While Racing Bulls has repeatedly proven this season to be a versatile car capable of exploits, especially in mid- and high-speed corners, Isack Hadjar has added a significant personal contribution to achieve such results. The French driver highlighted the VCARB02’s qualities during his final lap, overtaking George Russell and the two Ferraris, noting that the car was operating in the ideal window for maximum performance: “Honestly, my car was exactly how I wanted it. It responded very well, especially on that last lap.”
“We were probably a bit lucky with the gusts of wind. I’m not sure; we need to check the data. It’s a bad feeling when the wind hits you: you can lose up to two tenths in a single corner. It’s very annoying, so a bit of luck is also needed,” he added. In the Netherlands, wind often plays a crucial role, affecting both balance and top speed.
“But I did an incredible lap, and everything worked because the car was fantastic. It’s definitely the best lap I’ve done this year, because this is a very difficult and demanding track. I gave everything, especially in the final corner. I think I did really well there, gaining another tenth. It was special.”
Data analysis shows that Hadjar made the difference on his last attempt, navigating the challenging Turn 13 roughly 10 km/h faster than in Q2 and the first Q3 run, despite using the same tire. This was crucial in claiming a place on the second row ahead of the Ferraris and Russell, his toughest competitor for fourth on the grid. In the 8/9/10 corner sequence, Racing Bulls minimized lost time compared to Mercedes, remaining competitive through that section and recovering the decisive few hundredths in the slow chicane that opens the third sector and in the final corner, taken with maximum precision.
Minimizing lost time in the second sector was also key against the two Ferraris, which, as noted on Friday, struggled in the long middle-sector corners, accumulating most of their gap there.
Looking to the race, however, Isack Hadjar is cautious about holding off Russell and the Ferraris if they prove faster over race distance. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s that hard to overtake, considering the length of the straight. The DRS zone starts very early, so if they have more pace, they will get past. We have to accept it and be smart,” he said, noting that overtaking is feasible with a sufficient pace difference, as seen in previous seasons.
Isack Hadjar will start alongside reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who has been mentioned as a possible teammate for next year, while the 20-year-old continues to impress Racing Bulls’ leadership, who will decide his future between September and October.
“Usually Max starts very well. He’s also on the clean side of the track, so he’ll probably attack one of the drivers ahead,” Isack Hadjar added, explaining that his best strategy will be to follow Verstappen rather than attempt a risky overtake. “That’s the plan, because overtaking him directly would be very bold and very difficult.”
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