Helmut Marko absolutely surprised by this rookie: 'He's strong everywhere'

Helmut Marko is pleasantly surprised by the performances of Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls.

The young French Algerian is driving in Formula 1 for the first time this season. It was known that Hadjar has talent, but it was not yet clear to the Austrian advisor of Red Bull Racing that he could perform so consistently. Marko expressed his thoughts on Hadjar's performances to GPblog and how the driver has surprised him and the team in various ways.

Not only this weekend, during the first two free practices in Bahrain, but also in Japan where he managed to score points for Red Bull's sister team, he is making a huge impression, both within the Faenza based squad and outside.

Marko, pleasantly surprised by the performances of the Frenchman, says. "Hadjar is a big surprise. It's a circuit he knows, but everywhere we go he is immediately on pace and very unspectacular — he provides a super performance."

Marko on Hadjar and his consistency in Formula 1

"I knew that he is very fast. He lost 80 points in the F2 championship due to technical problems or crashes, which were his fault. He would have won the championship by miles. We knew he is fast, but that he is so consistent and that he is driving relatively easily is also a surprise for us," concluded the 81-year-old Austrian.

During the first two free practices, Hadjar finished in twelfth and sixth place. On Saturday, during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, he will try to secure a the best possible starting position for the race, to try and add more points to his tally as well as Racing Bulls'. You can follow the session that determines the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday here, which kicks of at 17:00 UK time.