Isack Hadjar has left Racing Bulls staff ‘extremely impressed’ for displaying one skill they didn’t expect

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar has bounced back faster than many people expected from one of the most difficult opening weekends any driver has faced in Formula 1.

The Australian Grand Prix caught out plenty of drivers, including the highly experienced Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, but Isack Hadjar was the unfortunate driver who missed out first in Melbourne.

The Racing Bulls driver was inconsolable as his debut in Formula 1 lasted just two corners before crashing into the barriers on the formation lap.

Helmut Marko labelling Hadjar’s reaction to his crash embarrassing didn’t go down well with fans, but the rest of his debut race weekend was very impressive, and he’s gone from strength to strength since then.

Hadjar was congratulated for scoring his first F1 points in Suzuka, finishing P8 and the best of the rest behind the drivers from the top teams and ahead of Red Bull debutant Yuki Tsunoda.

The young Frenchman has stood out among his rookie colleagues already this year, with Racing Bulls staff particularly impressed with one aspect of his start to life in Formula 1.

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

Isack Hadjar praised for ‘extremely’ impressive one-lap pace by Racing Bulls staff

Broadcaster Simon Lazenby was speaking on Sky Sports F1 (6/4 8:13 am) R14 about the 20-year-old after securing four important points for Racing Bulls at Suzuka.

Reflecting on his second Grand Prix start, Lazenby said: “I mean, fantastic, the way that he has come in after the start that he had.

“The DNS [did not start] that he had in Australia, [he’s] completely and utterly about-faced very quickly.

“There’s no doubt about it that he is quick. People are saying within that team that they are extremely impressed with his one-lap pace in particular, and then showed it in the race today.”

Go onnnnn Isack 😮‍💨 #VCARB #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/GPV8TdhUTh

— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) April 5, 2025

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve added his verdict to Hadjar’s strong performance, and said: “He’s quick and also he’s shown a good reaction after Melbourne.

“It would have been easy to collapse, but no, he reacted and got stronger.”

Hadjar was asked about his energy levels after the race and admitted: “I was still flat out, but I was definitely suffering a bit.

“So, maybe I was leaving some margin in the first bit [of the lap]. So yeah, I think I would have been even more efficient if I were less tired, that’s for sure.

“But, definitely, this was the best practice you can get.”

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

How does Isack Hadjar’s qualifying performance stack up against his Formula 1 rivals

During pre-season, it was incredibly difficult to tell where Racing Bulls fell in the pecking order compared to their midfield rivals.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Williams and Alpine, while Aston Martin appeared to be in trouble, with Sauber also looking like they hadn’t made as much progress as they would have liked over the winter.

However, it now appears that Racing Bulls are in a fight with Williams to be the best of the rest this year, with Alpine still point-less after three race weekends.

Hadjar’s one-lap pace has been very strong, and his average qualifying position when considering all four sessions puts him in the top 10, just behind Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Damon Hill was among those who praised Hadjar for his performance in Japan, and he’ll be desperate to build on that during the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix.