Hadjar 'over the moon' with first F1 podium

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Isack Hadjar said he's “over the moon” at a first Formula 1 podium and it's even better to share it with his childhood hero Max Verstappen. The four-time champion may yet be his teammate next year.

Hadjar held off Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on his way to take third place at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, making the 20-year-old French rookie the fifth-youngest driver in F1 history to make the podium.

Before the race, his Racing Bulls team had posted a picture of Hadjar as a boy posing for a photo with Verstappen, given that they were starting together on the second row of the grid. They could end up as teammates next year if Red Bull opts to replace Verstappen's struggling teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

“Outstanding day. I did not expect that waking up this morning. I was being very realistic. I knew there was George behind me and both Ferraris,” Hadjar said.

Red Bull's new team principal is Laurent Mekies, who started the season overseeing both Hadjar and Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, before his own promotion to the main Red Bull team when Christian Horner was fired in July.

Mekies said it was an “extraordinary race” from Hadjar and “testimony of how amazing of a job he has been doing since the beginning of the season.”

However, Mekies also said the team was in no rush to make a decision on its lineup for 2026. He also offered praise to Tsunoda, who ended a seven-race run without points by placing ninth and who, Mekies said, would have finished higher if not for an unfortunately timed safety car.

Making the podium is a big turnaround from Hadjar's debut race in Australia, when he didn't even make the start after crashing on the formation lap and was consoled by Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony.

“Obviously, I thought my life was over, but then you realize it can happen and you bounce back very quickly from that,” Hadjar said. “Already finishing fourth on pure pace would have been a mighty result. But finishing third, I’m just over the moon.”

Oscar Piastri took the win for McLaren, while Verstappen delighted his home crowd with second following Lando Norris' retirement with a car failure.

Sharing the podium with Verstappen in the Netherlands made it extra special, Hadjar said.

“It feels great. Max is someone I’ve been looking up to since my junior days,” he said. “To share the track, spend most of the race behind him, being within two or three seconds the whole time, and share my first podium with him on his home soil as well, I think it’s pretty cool.”

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