Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Isack Hadjar revealed he had a conversation with former Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko following his debut weekend with the Milton Keynes-based team at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. The French driver began his first race weekend alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen.
Hadjar earned promotion to the senior Red Bull squad after a strong 2025 season with Racing Bulls. In Melbourne, the 21-year-old made an immediate impression by qualifying third before his race ended prematurely due to a mechanical problem that forced him to retire.
Despite the disappointing race result, Hadjar said he remained satisfied with how his first weekend unfolded. He acknowledged that Red Bull still lacks the outright pace of key rivals such as McLaren and Ferrari, but believes the team has enough potential to fight for competitive positions.
“I’m still happy. I still consider we’re not as fast as McLaren or Ferrari, and we could see that on Sunday,” Hadjar told media including RacingNews365.
“But we have enough to be fighting for good positions. I only take the positives. Qualifying third was a very good start for me.”
Hadjar also explained that his expectations were measured heading into the weekend due to limited mileage during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Several issues during testing restricted his running, making the Australian Grand Prix his first real opportunity to build experience with the car.
“I did a bit better than I expected. I didn’t have many laps in Bahrain, but for a first weekend there were no mistakes,” he said.
“Even the race start was very sharp, so I did my best until we had the issues. It was a very good weekend to start.”
The French driver added that the feedback from the team after the race weekend was largely positive. He also confirmed that he had a brief conversation with Helmut Marko regarding his performance during the debut event.
When asked whether Marko was impressed by his performance, Hadjar responded with a laugh.
“He is never impressed,” Hadjar said.
However, in comments to Austrian newspaper Krone Zeitung, Marko praised his protégé’s qualifying performance.
“His qualifying lap was superb, but unfortunately he suffered a technical problem during the race,” Marko said.
“His goal is not to beat Max immediately but to learn. But apart from Sergio Perez in his prime, he is probably the one closest to Verstappen.”
Hadjar returned to action at the Chinese Grand Prix weekend and qualified 10th for the sprint race in Shanghai. The result underlines the ongoing adaptation process for Isack Hadjar as he continues his first full season with Red Bull Racing in the 2026 Formula 1 championship.
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