Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has admitted he “wouldn`t feel ready” for a potentially “scary” mid-season promotion to the senior Red Bull Racing team. However, the young driver stated he would “always be up for the call” if the opportunity arose.
The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the season`s standout performers for Racing Bulls, having scored points in five of his ten races and contributed a significant 75 per cent of the team`s constructors` championship points total so far.
Since Red Bull`s earlier driver swaps involving Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, Hadjar has notably outperformed Lawson in qualifying (7-1) and finished ahead of him in all their shared races, despite Lawson having greater experience in Formula 1.
With Yuki Tsunoda yet to fully establish himself in the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen, there has been some speculation about Hadjar potentially being a future contender for that position, although the team has downplayed these rumours.
When asked at the Canadian Grand Prix if he felt ready to drive for Red Bull, Hadjar responded candidly: “It`s a bit scary. I wouldn`t feel ready.” He elaborated, “I`m only nine races in, and it seems complicated when I look at Yuki and Liam, who are very quality drivers.” Despite this acknowledgment of needing more experience, he firmly stated, “I`m not very ready, but I would always be up for the call, that`s for sure.”
Addressing whether an early move would be challenging, Hadjar agreed: “It`s fair to say that because Liam and Yuki are quality drivers, so it`s normal to think that.” He expressed a personal curiosity, adding, “I`m just curious, that`s the only word I can use, of being next to Max. That`s the only thing I can say.”
“For sure, I don`t feel ready, that`s a fact. It`s good to take experience where I`m at. I`m enjoying so much every weekend, learning a lot,” Hadjar continued. “It`s a car I enjoy driving. We will see in the future. But obviously as a Red Bull junior driver, the trajectory is normal to go there.” He confirmed that completing the full season with Racing Bulls would be beneficial.
Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer recently made a light-hearted comment that they might “have to handcuff him” if Red Bull came calling early. Hadjar took this positively, saying, “It just means I`m well integrated into the team. They like me and I`m happy where I`m at right now. They value me quite high, so I can only be grateful and I`m very happy with the current situation. It`s very good for a rookie.”
Horner Sees Progress for Tsunoda Despite Point Drought
Meanwhile, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner commented on Yuki Tsunoda, who has not scored points in the last three races. Horner noted that Tsunoda`s performance in Canada, where he finished 12th after a grid penalty for a red flag infringement in practice, showed signs of progress.
Horner highlighted that Tsunoda is working on developing a car setup that suits his individual style, rather than simply trying to replicate Max Verstappen`s configuration. He believes this approach is showing positive signs.
