Red Bull and Racing Bulls Formula 1 chiefs refute suggestions that Isack Hadjar was expected to hold station as he took his maiden F1 podium at the Dutch Grand Prix behind Max Verstappen.
Hadjar qualified alongside Verstappen on the second row in Zandvoort and shadowed the world champion through the race, attempting to put the Dutchman under pressure in the final stint of the race for third.
That became a fight for second as Lando Norris retired and yielded a breakthrough grand prix podium for 20-year-old rookie Hadjar.
While Hadjar briefly got within overtaking range of Verstappen, the Frenchman never got close enough to attack the sister team’s car as Verstappen upped the pace when he needed to.
But any suggestions that Hadjar was expected to hold station have been brushed aside the leadership of both teams. Asked by Austrian broadcaster ORF if there was any gentleman’s agreement between the two Red Bull owned teams to that extent, Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer said: “No, no, absolutely not. On the contrary, as a smaller team, we’re here to give the big teams a bit of heat.
“If he’d had the pace, he would’ve attacked, no question. But it turned out that Max was just managing his tyres. As soon as he saw Isack coming, he picked up the pace again and pulled away. In the end, the two were pretty equal in terms of race pace. But if the opportunity presents itself, we’ll definitely go for it — promised!”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said he hadn’t even thought about the scenario, but indicated Red Bull “wouldn’t have intervened, as long as it stayed fair and without collisions”, while Red Bull’s team boss Laurent Mekies flat out dismissed the theory.
“If he was not allowed [to pass], it would be illegal. So, the answer is yes, he is allowed,” Mekies retorted. “And I remind you that last race, we finished behind the Racing Bulls in Budapest.”
Bayer said the Anglo-Italian team’s sixth podium in its existence was made extra special after the issues the team faced throughout Friday practice. It changed Hadjar’s engine between FP1 and FP2 after encountering sensor issues but then asked him to park the VCARB 02 car on track on his first FP2 lap as a precautionary measure when it detected anomalies in the battery system, prompting more overnight work to ensure the Frenchman could run trouble-free on Saturday.
“Of course, it’s an incredible feeling, especially seeing Isack up there on the podium next to Max,” Bayer added. “Incredibly emotional, also because we had so many problems on Friday. The team broke the curfew, worked through the night, rebuilt the car, and in the end, everything came together.
“The strategy was good, the starts were good, and Isack didn’t make a single mistake. In the end, maybe it was also a bit of ‘the luck of the brave’ that brought us onto the podium.”
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