Helmut Marko praises 'revelation' Isack Hadjar

Red Bull wasted no time in shaking up their 2025 driver line-up, swapping Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson after the round two in China.

For obvious reasons, the implications of this change has been discussed and analysed extensively – and this is likely to continue for the remainder of 2025.

Ironically, this has made Isack Hadjar one of the main sources of consistency at VCARB. The Frenchman has been adapted quickly to life in Formula 1, securing important points for the team and acquitting himself well at the start of 2025.

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko argues that Hadjar is one of the main revelations form the 2025 campaign.

Hadjar exceeds expectations

Heading into the 2025 season, there were relatively limited headlines about Isack Hadjar.

The 20-year-old was understandably overshadowed by other rookie arrivals, most notably Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Hadjar’s spin during the formation lap at the Australian GP was perhaps was a nightmare scenario for his F1 debut, especially given his strong performance in qualifying the day before.

In the aftermath of this incident, Hadjar was on the receiving end of some relatively cynical comments from Helmut Marko.

A few weeks later, however, the narrative surrounding the youngster is far more positive.

His raw pace is clear, even if Tsunoda’s departure makes it more difficult to compare him to an established baseline.

Hadjar’s points finishes in Japan and Jeddah have allowed him to settle within an immensely critical Red Bull set-up.

The youngster’s position in the team is relatively secure, with Helmut Marko praising his progression:

“Let’s talk about the Racing Bulls,” he wrote for Speedweek.

“Returning driver Liam Lawson is doing well.

“In Jeddah, he was a touch faster than Isack Hadjar, and in the race they were more or less on par. The New Zealander has settled in.

“In my opinion, Hadjar is the revelation of this first phase of the World Championship.

“The young Parisian didn’t know most of the circuits, but was always fast right from the start and made few mistakes. Apart from the mistake in Australia.

“Isack achieves in the races what many Formula 1 rookies struggle with.

“He consistently posts good lap times while managing his tires very well. He delivers all of this relatively calmly.”

A long way to go

As ever, a great amount of caution is necessary when assessing the dynamics within the Red Bull driver stable.

The Milton Keynes outfit look to have found some stability, with Yuki Tsunoda promising to reinforce Max Verstappen effectively over the remainder of 2025.

There are certainly no indications there will be more driver changes at Red Bull this season.

However, there is often a young talent that Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are closely following and preparing for Formula 1.

This year is no exception, with F2 driver Arvid Lindblad rated very highly within the Austrian squad.

Lindblad has already completed some TPC running for Red Bull over recent months. The 17-year-old us seen as potentially F1 calibre.

As a result, neither Hadjar nor Lawson can allow themselves to underperform – else they lose their seats.

Still, it must be said that Hadjar – who is both younger and less experienced than his teammate – should be in a relatively safe position if he maintains his trajectory.