F1 rising star Isack Hadjar earns Red Bull praise, but Nico Rosberg warns the Frenchman: joining Verstappen now could backfire badly.
Isack Hadjar has been the biggest surprise of the year so far, with no Q1 eliminations and several points finishes already. That’s earned him praise from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, raising concerns he might be added to the long list of drivers sacrificed in Milton Keynes’ second car.
“Hadjar is the big surprise. Everywhere we go, he immediately finds pace, and he consistently delivers great performances. We knew he was fast, but the fact that he’s so consistent and drives relatively effortlessly is also a surprise to us,” Marko said.
This has led to speculation that the Frenchman could be called up alongside Max Verstappen. According to Nico Rosberg, Hadjar should absolutely turn down such an offer if it comes: “If I were Hadjar, if the team started talking about a promotion, I would literally say no.”
“I would refuse as strongly as possible. Because he’s doing a great job with Racing Bulls, he’s in a very good position, he just needs to say no and respond with ‘no way.’ That’s the right thing to do, decline the offer.”
The 2016 World Champion is skeptical about the issues with the second Red Bull seat: “I really struggle to understand it myself. Everything suggests Max Verstappen is special. And that’s the only thing you can really say, because all these guys are great drivers. It just seems like he’s on another level compared to everyone else.”
The German sees Hadjar as a driver who could one day take on Verstappen, but with more experience: “Isack is a driver Racing Bulls believe has a style very similar to Max Verstappen. I don’t think he’s ready yet. But is Isack the answer to their problems?”
“If Hadjar is the closest thing to Max Verstappen, then he might have an easier time adapting to the car, which has been designed and developed more to Max’s liking. Red Bull says Sergio Pérez was a bit reluctant to give feedback last year, so all the input came from Max, meaning the car evolved in Max’s direction.”