Full of confidence after a great run of results, Isack Hadjar believes, however, that Red Bull still needs to improve to compete sustainably with Mercedes and Ferrari.
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The first half of the season marked a real turning point for Isack Hadjar. Long struggling with a tricky RB22 to handle, the Frenchman gradually found his footing to string together seven consecutive points finishes before the summer break.
Despite this positive momentum, the Red Bull driver believes his team is still far from its full potential. In his view, it remains imperative to continue developments to close the gap with Mercedes and Ferrari.
A car finally better mastered
Asked about his confidence level behind the wheel of the RB22, Hadjar now presents a very different outlook than at the start of the season.
The Frenchman explains that he has learned to work with the characteristics of a car that remains demanding.
“I feel good. It’s a car that I now handle properly. It’s not the easiest to drive, but it has become more consistent. For several races now, I have been able to get the most out of it and I am satisfied.”
This rise in form is directly reflected in the results. Hadjar has scored points in the last seven Grands Prix, confirming his consistency and progress.
A podium still awaited
His best result so far remains a fourth place achieved in Monaco.
A performance that could even have turned into his first podium with Red Bull if not for the revision of the penalty given to Pierre Gasly after the race. Several appeals are still under review, so hope remains that this result may change.
In any case, Hadjar believes that Red Bull has now returned to the fight with the top teams after a particularly difficult start to the season.
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While the team initially fought with Haas and Alpine for the last points positions, it now regularly plays a leading role behind McLaren.
“We still have to dig deeper”
Despite this clear progress, Hadjar refuses to be satisfied.
The 21-year-old driver believes Red Bull still suffers a performance deficit compared to Mercedes and Ferrari, a deficit that must be imperatively filled during the second half of the season.
“We are still not at the level where I want to be. There are still several areas where we lack competitiveness compared to Ferrari and Mercedes. We have to keep digging to find more performance.”
These words reflect Red Bull’s renewed ambition.
An already spectacular comeback
Since the first races of the year, the Milton Keynes team has carried out impressive development work.
The RB22 has reportedly gained nearly a second per lap compared to the leaders since the start of the season, a leap forward that now allows it to regularly aim for podiums.
For Hadjar, this progress shows that the team is moving in the right direction.
“We have clearly taken a step forward. The progress is real and it’s very encouraging.”
Now the challenge is to turn this rise in form into concrete results. If Red Bull manages to continue this momentum after the summer break, Isack Hadjar’s first podium under the Austrian team’s colors could quickly become a reality.
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