Isack Hadjar makes honest Red Bull admission in post-Marko era
Isack Hadjar misses working with Helmut Marko
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar admitted that he misses working with Helmut Marko, the team’s former senior advisor and young driver programme boss.
Hadjar entered the Red Bull Junior Team and worked his way up into Formula 1 under Marko’s watch.
Isack Hadjar misses Helmut Marko Red Bull presence
The Austrian served as Red Bull’s demanding, no-nonsense head of the Junior Team. Yet, performance was rewarded with opportunity. Hadjar can testify.
Becoming a Red Bull junior in 2022, he claimed three wins in his rookie Formula 3 season and graduated to Formula 2.
Marko kept faith in the Frenchman despite a winless campaign, said faith rewarded with a runner-up result in the 2024 championship.
An impressive graduation to Formula 1 followed as Hadjar quickly turned heads with Racing Bulls. He was regularly lauded by Marko.
That theme of progression continued with the nod to partner Max Verstappen at the senior Red Bull team from F1 2026.
Marko is no longer in the paddock to oversee the journey of his former protégé, having left Red Bull at the end of 2025.
Ahead of his latest outing in Brazil, Hadjar was asked how different the Red Bull family feels now without the presence of Marko and former long-time team principal Christian Horner, who was sacked after last year’s British Grand Prix.
Beginning with Horner, he pointed out: “I don’t know because I was not in the team. I’m sorry, I actually have no idea.
“I’ve never had Christian as my boss.”
His response on the Marko portion of that question was clear.
“But I miss working with Helmut for sure,” he confirmed.
The decision to promote Hadjar to Red Bull is paying off. He has arguably ended the second seat curse with three podium finishes in F1 2026. Only once this year has he made the chequered flag and failed to score points.
His latest top three result came in an impressive display at the Brazilian GP, in a wet-dry-wet race, ensuring a double podium for Red Bull.
Team principal Laurent Mekies felt that his driver took another step at Interlagos.
“I think ultimately, if you ask me right now, I think it’s the best race he has done with us in terms of pure pace, and that’s what we look at, pure pace on the dry [tyres], on the inters, super difficult conditions, in how clever he has been racing.
“He has done a lot of very strong racing this year. Baku. But I think he has raised the bar another time.
Latest Red Bull news on PlanetF1.com
Red Bull lifts lid on Max Verstappen team orders decision after Hadjar radio exhange
Red Bull signs new reserve driver for F1 2027 season
“That’s what we want to keep seeing. That’s what we said we were most impressed by when we took the decision to confirm him for ’27, is the way he has been keeping raising the bar, and we were simply hoping to provide him with the environment for him to keep doing that.
“I think he has done that today in terms of the race. And you are right in the context where he has been building through the weekend.”
Read next – Verdict: Liam Lawson dodges torpedo, must plan next move as Red Bull return ruled out
