It’s a weekend Hadjar won’t forget anytime soon. At Zandvoort, the young Frenchman claimed his maiden Formula 1 podium, finishing third after starting from a career-best fourth on the grid. Among the many debutants in the 2025 season, Hadjar is quickly emerging as one of the most impressive. His steady progress reached a new high as he managed to keep Charles Leclerc and George Russell behind him, delivering Racing Bulls its first top-three finish in 1,547 days — and outperforming even the main Red Bull team.

Born in 2004, Hadjar’s standout performance has not gone unnoticed by Red Bull’s top brass, who are reportedly already considering him for a seat in the main team next season.

“Oh my God! What have we done!” That was Hadjar’s emotional radio message right after crossing the line behind Piastri and Verstappen. He had already impressed in qualifying by snatching P4 from Russell, and in the race, he converted that into a dream result. Racing Bulls’ recent pace has been turning heads — particularly in contrast to the more temperamental Red Bull car, which even a four-time world champion is struggling to handle.

Hadjar himself was quick to acknowledge the team’s role: “The pace was unreal, unreal. Oh, thank you guys, what a car,” he said before running to embrace his mechanics beneath the podium in celebration. While visibly emotional after the race, the young driver spoke with calm confidence in a Sky Sport interview:

“I might sound a bit boring, but this is exactly what I’ve always pictured: me standing on an F1 podium. I can see myself doing even more than this. I’m very happy it happened — now I can say I’ve been on a Formula 1 podium… but I’m not done yet.”

Future Red Bull Driver?  While Hadjar is focused on the present, it’s impossible not to look ahead. “What message does a race like this send to the world? That I’m good. I can drive. I can drive fast. I can drive anything — just not a MotoGP bike, that’s the only thing I don’t know how to handle,” he joked.

Having been part of the Red Bull driver program since 2022, Hadjar’s promotion seems increasingly likely — especially with Tsunoda underperforming alongside Verstappen. When asked by Sky Sport if he feels ready to join the main Red Bull team, Hadjar didn’t hesitate: “I’m ready for whatever happens.”

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