Damon Hill uses just two words to describe Isack Hadjar after scoring his first F1 points at the Japanese Grand Prix

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar has come a long way since he nearly made his Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

The turbulence within the Red Bull set-up hasn’t made it easy for any of their four drivers, but Isack Hadjar failing to take the start in Melbourne was the worst case scenario for the young Frenchman.

Lewis Hamilton’s father consoled Hadjar on his way back to the Racing Bulls paddock that day, and considering how brutal the likes of Helmut Marko can be at Red Bull, immediately, he was under serious pressure.

However, Hadjar’s underlying pace was already clear to see after just missing out on Q3 in Melbourne, before he outqualified teammate Yuki Tsunoda at the following race in China.

Hadjar was joined by a new teammate at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Christian Horner deciding to promote Tsunoda into Liam Lawson’s seat.

Lawson needed a strong performance at Suzuka, a track he knows well, to get his season back on track, but there was only one Racing Bulls driver who caught anybody’s attention, including legendary racer Damon Hill, and that was the inexperienced Frenchman.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

Damon Hill lauds Racing Bulls star Isack Hadjar after the Japanese Grand Prix

Hill took to Instagram after the race and reserved special praise for two young drivers on the grid.

In response to Hadjar scoring the first points of his Formula 1 career, Hill said: “Turning out to be a star driver.”

The 1996 world champion also reacted to Kimi Antonelli becoming the youngest ever driver to lead a Formula 1 race on Instagram and added: “As is this young fella.”

He also described the two records Antonelli broke – youngest ever driver to lead an F1 race and youngest driver to secure a fastest lap – as ‘sticky’ stats.

Horner might be concerned that Hadjar has outscored Tsunoda and Lawson this season, despite both drivers having their opportunity to drive the faster RB21.

Although Marko has promised Tsunoda the rest of the season alongside Max Verstappen, whether he has a future in the Red Bull set-up beyond 2025 is up for debate.

If Hadjar continues to progress at this pace, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s suddenly discussed as an option to one day drive alongside the Dutchman.

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Isack Hadjar impressed Anthony Davidson during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend

Hadjar will be disappointed that he’s only scored four points this season, with Racing Bulls messing up both his and Tsunoda’s strategy in China.

The Japanese driver should have scored plenty of points in Australia too, but Racing Bulls didn’t make the same mistake again as Hadjar secured a brilliant P8 on Sunday, only losing a place to Hamilton.

Anthony Davidson was impressed with Hadjar, especially as during qualifying he had to deal with an uncomfortable seatbelt situation that made his task even more difficult.

Hadjar said a fond farewell to Tsunoda after his promotion, but will sense an opportunity to get on top of Lawson when his confidence is at a low ebb.

The points he scored in Japan are only the beginning for the 20-year-old, who will have his eye on another top 10 finish in Bahrain.