Hadjar is hugely grateful to Marko: 'I owe him a lot'
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Isack Hadjar will take the seat Liam Lawson left at Racing Bulls ahead of the 2025 season, following Red Bull Racing's ousting of Sergio Perez from its main drivers lineup. The F2 runner up prior to the start of his debut season in F1 admits he "owes a lot" to Red Bull Chief advisor, Helmut Marko, in conversation with Canal+.
Hadjar's P2 finish in the standings behind champion Gabriel Bortoleto was enough to convince Marko that he warranted a shot in F1, but not before the Austrian talent scout and head of Red Bull's driver development program imparted some motivating words for his French Algerian pupil:"It's time to prove that this is your moment," he said.
"It really touches me that Helmut came all the way to Italy to sign my contract in person," Yuki Tsunoda's new teammate continued. "I owe him a lot. The relationship I have with him is more than just boss-employee. If things don't go well, he won't just criticise me. He respects me as a person and my approach to the sport. If we disagree on something, I always give my opinion. I think he appreciates that."
2025 will be Hadjar's F1 debut season
However, the young star is aware that in 2025 he will take to the track with some of the biggest names this sport has ever seen, making it all the more challenging. "I feel really lucky and privileged. I will only really start to realise it in Bahrain, during the pre-season tests. I will share the track with Lewis [Hamilton], [Fernando] Alonso, Max [Verstappen]... the grid is so strong, the level is SO high."
Thus, Hadjar knows it will be difficult. Setting his sights on beating future teammate, Tsunoda, the 2024 F2 runner up knows it will be a tough task, but he knows exactly what he needs to do and how to best approach the challenge. "I know myself. When I get in the car, I want to beat my teammate. The first races will be difficult, but I have to make sure I don't get discouraged. If I am behind my teammate in terms of performance, I know I have to work hard and keep my head up to understand why," Hadjar concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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