Helmut Marko: Hadjar Justifies the Nickname “Little Prost”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed that some scoffed when he nicknamed Isack Hadjar the “little Prost.” However, the young French driver proved his worth by achieving a podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Hadjar, 20 years old, achieved his first podium in Formula 1 at Zandvoort, competing for Racing Bulls, the junior team of Red Bull.
The rookie driver, who qualified in fourth place, benefited from Lando Norris’s retirement, which allowed him to move up to third place.
We chose him, so we knew he was special. I call him the ‘little Prost’, the new one.
Helmut Marko
Marko, known for his management of the Red Bull driver academy, has always believed in Hadjar’s talent.
Red Bull advisor highlighted Hadjar’s rapid adaptation to new circuits and his self-confidence.
Red Bull has not yet decided Hadjar’s future, although he seems to be the strongest candidate to be Max Verstappen’s teammate next season.Isack Hadjar celebrates with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after his first podium at the Dutch Grand Prix.Although the Red Bull junior team was created to develop young talents, the progression has been complicated in recent years.
Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon struggled as Verstappen’s teammates. Sergio Pérez experienced a drop in performance, leading the team to turn to academy product Liam Lawson this season.
Lawson was replaced after two races by Yuki Tsunoda, but the Japanese driver’s results have not improved significantly. Marko avoided commenting on the next steps for Hadjar.
Marko, with a smile, commented: “We’ll decide that later on.”
Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull junior driver, is currently leading Formula 2 and seems to be a strong candidate to move up to the Racing Bulls team next season.
Sources indicate that it is unlikely that Lawson will race for Red Bull again, but he could remain in the junior team if Tsunoda is completely replaced.
In addition to his poor performance, Tsunoda’s chances of continuing are affected by the imminent end of Red Bull’s relationship with Honda, their long-time sponsor.
Honda offered Red Bull a discount in the last year of engine supply to facilitate Tsunoda’s promotion before this year’s Japanese Grand Prix.
