Hadjar is proving to be one of the surprises of 2025 thanks to consistent and solid performances, but from Barcelona another theme has emerged: the definite step up made by Racing Bulls in high-speed corners. Progress that had already been seen elsewhere, but in Spain, where problems began 12 months ago, an important confirmation was evident.
He has been one of the quietest faces among the rookies, an almost unusual fact considering his personality, but in this first third of the season Isack Hadjar is proving to be one of the most interesting and concrete surprises on the grid. While the spotlight was elsewhere, the Frenchman made his way with results and solid performances, increasingly taking the stage and, step by step, the role of reference driver at Racing Bulls.
His results are not only bringing back to light the talent Isack Hadjar had already shown in the junior categories, where he was noted for his speed, but also confirm Helmut Marko’s intuition. In fact, despite an unfortunate exit in Australia, Marko had seen in him potential to cultivate, putting him on the same level as other rookies who received greater attention.
An almost understated entry, but in which Isack Hadjar has shown great substance. Just think that the Frenchman has scored points in five of the nine races so far, with his first top 10 coming on a tricky track for rookies like Suzuka, where he had never raced before. But perhaps even more impressive is what he showed in the last triple header, scoring points in all three races.
On three very different tracks, the Racing Bulls driver showed flashes of talent: sixth in qualifying at Monaco, a strong performance at Imola where, without incidents, he might have collected more, and the solidity shown in Barcelona.
“It’s a fantastic feeling, not so much for the points themselves, but for having done a good race. And lately we’ve been doing some good races, so yes, I’m very happy,” Isack Hadjar said after his nice seventh place in Spain. A solid performance, but one that also highlights another theme: the progress made this year by Racing Bulls.
The comparison with 12 months ago shows the progress
Exactly twelve months ago, the Barcelona round was a sort of turning point for the Faenza team’s season. After a promising start to the championship, Racing Bulls arrived in Spain with several technical updates that did not deliver the expected results, so much so that they were partially abandoned after the next race.
That Spanish weekend was one of the worst of the entire season for the Italian team, but it also highlighted a second aspect: how much the VCARB01 needed to improve in high-speed corners. The car was very competitive in slow sections, but at high speeds or in long curves it lacked aerodynamic downforce, a problem that resurfaced in the second half of 2024.
Not surprisingly, in the second half of last season, Racing Bulls faced development problems that slowed its progress. The team managed to find the right direction only towards the end of the championship, not without difficulties, having to recover what was lost in the middle phase of the season.
However, thanks to excellent winter work, the team started 2025 showing immediate effectiveness. Two months ago, Racing Bulls was described as the surprise of this early season, even more than Williams, which in 2024 had been penalized mainly by the car’s weight, development delays, and numerous accidents, factors that had “hidden” the car’s real potential.
The last three races — Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona — highlighted two aspects for the Faenza team: the ability to maintain strength in slow corners, a legacy of previous years’ cars, and the clear improvement in fast corners, thanks to the engineers’ winter work.
Looking at the comparison between qualifying times in Spain last year and this season, it’s clear that Racing Bulls made the biggest progress, precisely because it was in Barcelona that the problems began twelve months ago. A leap forward even greater than Williams, which has never made long corners its strong suit.
The progress is even more evident analyzing telemetry data: beyond the overall improvement, notable advances were made in high-speed corners like turn 9 (where 10 km/h more was recorded), but also in turn 13, generally taken flat out, and in turn 14, where Isack Hadjar had to lift off the throttle less.
Not only is it easier to drive, but also more versatile
This improvement had already emerged in several races and could have brought even better results in the early races if it hadn’t been for some strategic errors that significantly affected the final outcome, like in Australia and China. The VCARB02 is now not only a car easier for drivers to read, but also much more consistent where its predecessor showed some weaknesses last year.
Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that the team lost an experienced driver like Yuki Tsunoda, who on the VCARB had found confidence and rhythms that he has not yet regained at Red Bull, a factor that weighed on the team’s results.
But it is clear that the engineers have made a clear step forward which, above all, gives the car greater versatility. This was already seen in China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, rounds where the VCARB02 had the potential to score points, but the last triple header confirms that the team seems to be on a solid growth trajectory.
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