Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Isack Hadjar overcomes early issues to land “outstanding” podium in Monaco
The young French driver showed maturity beyond his years as he battled through a host of problems to secure his second career podium and his first with Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Isack Hadjar came through a major test with flying colours at the Monaco Grand Prix as he battled with mechanical issues and a late-race red flag to equal his best-ever finish in Formula One by taking a well-deserved third place in the Principality.
Starting from fifth on the grid, the 21-year-old produced a mature drive that saw him come under immense pressure before holding off the challenge of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to land his first podium in Oracle Red Bull Racing colours and his first since last year’s third-place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Overcoming challenges
Having joined Oracle Red Bull Racing from Visa Cash App Racing Bulls for the 2026 season, Hadjar has made a strong start to life with his new team. He produced an excellent fifth-place finish last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix and is now just one place below team-mate Max Verstappen in the championship standings.
Hadjar expertly handled car issues and a red flag to land third place
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Even more impressive was Hadjar's ability to overcome adversity as he revealed after the race in Monaco that he had been experiencing “massive driveability issues” for much of the 70 laps.
"We got off to a clean start and were managing our race, and then within the first 10 to 15 laps I started having big drivability issues," revealed Hadjar. "If there's one track you don't want that, it's here, so that was incredibly challenging having to cover 60 laps."
That was not the only problem the French driver experienced as his podium looked in jeopardy when it was confirmed during the race that he would be investigated for an alleged red flag infringement.
Despite the possibility of potentially losing his third-place finish, Hadjar remained cool as steered the car home to finish behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and Ferraris Lewis Hamilton.
It was an emotional moment for Hadjar and his team
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
"There was then uncertainty about what was going to happen with the red flag and you need to get your head back again in focus. Even towards the end, I was still lacking power on the restart. It really was the longest race of my life but now it's finished we got the podium," he added.
A weekend to remember
After struggling in the first free practice and placing in 13th position, Hadjar demonstrated his ability to adapt as he continually improved throughout the race weekend.
By the third and final practise session he had improved to eighth before qualifying in fifth and then finishing a memorable race in third.
"It's been an outstanding result and weekend considering how it started in FP1! The race was difficult and I had to dig very deep," said Hadjar. "But I was able to celebrate with the team on the podium and I will always have that."
Monaco Grand Prix result
Rank
Person
Team
Points
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
25
2
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
18
3
Isack Hadjar
Oracle Red Bull Racing
15
4
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
12
5
Liam Lawson
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls
10
