The Dutch Grand Prix delivered endless excitement, but the highlight was undoubtedly Isack Hadjar’s first career podium. The 2004-born rookie drove a masterful race, fending off attacks from Charles Leclerc and George Russell with impeccable pace and strategy. After the race, the Frenchman reflected on his performance with clarity.
Hadjar: “The toughest part was resisting Leclerc’s attacks early on”
“Getting on the podium would require a miracle,” Hadjar had said ahead of the Dutch GP. And that miracle came true on Sunday. On Saturday, he secured the best qualifying result of his young career with a flawless lap that earned him fourth place, despite a Friday he described as “terrible” due to two Power Unit issues in FP1 and FP2.
Starting on medium tires, Hadjar defended against Leclerc’s Ferrari, gaining crucial meters, especially in the final sector chicane. “It was physically tough, especially after the summer break. Luckily, I had a decent start that let me hold fourth place, and I knew early on that Charles would try to attack, which he did. I was comfortable under braking, defended properly, and that’s exactly what we executed,” the Racing Bulls driver said.
As the laps progressed, Hadjar consistently matched Verstappen’s pace and those behind him, thanks to a well-balanced VCARB 02 that was easy to push to the limit in every corner: “The most surprising thing was maintaining fourth place throughout the race. The car felt glued to the asphalt all weekend, and I’m really happy with myself because I maximized everything we had.”
“By mid-race, I knew we could score big points”
Midway through the race, strong pace on hard tires made Hadjar realize that a podium wasn’t out of reach, aided by a VCARB 02 that perfectly responded to his inputs: “After keeping Russell and Leclerc behind for a while, I knew we had the pace for big points. Towards the end, I thought that if something happened up front, I’d be in podium position—and that’s exactly what happened.”
The defining moment came on lap 65 when Lando Norris suddenly slowed, causing the third Safety Car of the Grand Prix. This promoted Hadjar to podium contention ahead of Russell. Only one challenge remained: the restart, crucial to turning the opportunity into a historic result: “Fortunately for us, Lando’s issue opened the door, but we made no mistakes. I knew I had to nail the final Safety Car restart, defended as hard as possible, and secured the result.”
“Crossing the line on the podium felt unreal”
The 2004-born driver crossed the finish line in third, claiming his first career podium and Racing Bulls’ first of the season. Team radio communications and celebrations with the squad were full of emotion: “It all feels a bit unreal… No mistakes, and I got the podium. I’m extremely happy for my team. There are so many people to thank, from my family to the Red Bull family. First, my parents. From a sporting side, Helmut Marko gave me this opportunity. Four years ago, he signed me in Formula Regional, guiding my path, which I’ve followed pretty well. This has been my goal since I was a child. So, this is my first step, my first podium, and I hope many more will come.”
Sharing the podium with Verstappen is special
Hadjar shared the podium with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. The Frenchman expressed gratitude towards the Dutch champion: “Max is someone I’ve admired since my junior categories. The last five years have been incredible. Sharing the track, spending most of the race behind him, staying within two or three seconds, and sharing my first podium with him at his home Grand Prix feels really special.”
Looking ahead to Monza
Now, all focus is on Monza, the Faenza team’s second home race. On the fast Italian circuit, with more overtaking opportunities, Hadjar knows replicating Zandvoort’s success will be much harder: “It will be challenging considering the very long straight. But we can always surprise ourselves, and we hope for a strong result. Historically, my team has had good pace here—Pierre [Gasly] won in 2020—so it brings back good memories.”
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