mobile app bar

After ‘Embarrassing’ Red Bull Debut, Helmut Marko Hails Isack Hadjar as ‘One of The Surprises’ of 2025

Anirban Aly Mandal
Published

Isack Hadjar of Red Bull Racing RB20 and Helmut Marko, Drivers Manager of Red Bull Racing, are present during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 5, 2024

After a strong showing in the F2 championship last season, Isack Hadjar was being touted as one of the most promising rookies on the 2025 F1 grid. But his debut at the season-opening Australian GP ended in heartbreak as he crashed out on the formation lap.

Naturally, a surge of emotions led the #6 driver to bawl his eyes out in front of millions of fans on TV and at the Albert Park Circuit. In his moment of sadness, Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, came up to console him — a moment that went viral in no time.

But Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, being as ruthless as he is, labelled his junior driver’s actions “embarrassing”. While the Austrian’s remarks were met with immense public backlash, Hadjar himself calmed the storm by admitting, “I found it embarrassing myself.” 

At the Chinese GP, however, the 20-year-old redeemed himself after out-qualifying his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, and displaying strong pace during the race. This feat did not go unnoticed, and Marko himself changed his tune and lauded the 20-year-old.

“Isack Hadjar was able to properly manage his Melbourne misadventure, even though he had already been surprisingly strong in qualifying. He would certainly have scored his first points in China without this failed strategy. For me, Isack is one of the surprises of this first part of the season,” he said as quoted by Auto Hebdo.

As is the case with all Red Bull juniors, Hadjar’s main focus is on the seat on the main team. But for that, he needs to prove himself with their sister team at Racing Bulls. After Liam Lawson’s woeful start to his Red Bull career, the Kiwi driver has been relegated back to RB with Tsunoda taking up the second seat alongside Max Verstappen.

This will give the perfect opportunity for the French-Algerian racing ace to establish himself within the program by asserting his dominance over Lawson in the upcoming races. That said, it doesn’t seem as though Hadjar will get his opportunity with Red Bull anytime soon.

Marko has already promised Tsunoda time until the end of this season to prove his worth. But if Hadjar continues to impress, he will make a compelling argument for himself to be considered for a promotion down the line.

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

linkedin-icon

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Share this article