Isack Hadjar claims first F1 points, open to Red Bull future

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Isack Hadjar made headlines on Sunday by scoring his first-ever Formula 1 points for Racing Bulls during the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing eighth after starting from seventh. The young Frenchman, while delighted with his performance, hinted at future ambitions with Red Bull, stating he "would never say no" to a call from the main team.

The rookie driver faced an unusual challenge during qualifying, experiencing a painful seatbelt squeeze that nearly jeopardized his weekend. Despite these circumstances, Hadjar performed admirably, collecting four points in Suzuka, Japan—a track known for its demanding nature. Notably, he began the race next to the Ferrari of his racing hero, Lewis Hamilton, who overtook Hadjar on one of the scarce opportunities provided by the track's layout.

Reflecting on his journey, Hadjar recalled his earlier Australian Grand Prix debut, where he spun out during the formation lap, expressing his frustration with tears, and an 11th-place finish in China thereafter. "We were not fighting Lewis today, obviously he was out of reach," Hadjar admitted. "But what was good was definitely the start, we held position, were threatening a bit on Kimi [Antonelli] but just not enough. That was the perfect race today. I think it's a cool place to score your first points. Super-happy. I really love this place. Also, it was super-demanding, I was just completely destroyed the last quarter of the race," added the 20-year-old.

Hadjar's impressive performance becomes even more notable considering he’s on his second teammate of the season. Following Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull and a subsequent swap with Yuki Tsunoda, Hadjar has stood out, with Red Bull executives praising him despite no points scored by his teammates at Suzuka.

"It's been an amazing weekend, especially from Isack, with P7 in qualifying and P8 today in the race with some seriously fast cars behind him," commented Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls team boss. "That was quite something in only his third Formula 1 race at such a difficult track. He confirmed that talent today with a faultless race: 53 laps perfectly executed between him and the team and his first F1 points in the bag."

When asked about his chances of joining Red Bull, Hadjar playfully replied, "To be honest I'm really enjoying where I am at the moment. I would never refuse a call, that's for sure, but let's see. I'm just having fun at the moment."

With a promising start to his Formula 1 career, Hadjar continues to capture attention, leaving fans and team officials alike intrigued by what the future holds for this talented young driver.

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