Helmut Marko advises Isack Hadjar to “keep his emotions under control”
Helmut Marko asks Isack Hadjar to "keep his emotions under control" before his F1 debut next season.
Isack Hadjar has been officially announced as a Racing Bulls driver in F1, where he will team up with Yuki Tsunoda.
The 20-year-old Frenchman finished second in the Formula 2 championship in 2024, narrowly missing the title to Gabriel Bortoleto, who will debut in F1 with Sauber in 2025. Isack Hadjar is the latest talent from the Red Bull program to make it to Formula 1, following in the footsteps of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo.
Helmut Marko warns Isack Hadjar
Asked about the French driver before Red Bull’s recent announcements, Helmut Marko mentioned the areas for improvement to succeed in F1.
Speaking on the Inside Line F1 podcast, Helmut Marko said: « First of all, I must say that Isack lost more than 80 points due to technical issues. Maintaining his motivation and speed despite this was already a great achievement. Isack is fast, but he needs to keep his emotions in check and stay focused. »
« An example: in Monaco, during a safety car period, he found himself with a car in front of him. He started complaining on the radio, asking why this was happening, while the other driver had cold tires. He should have attacked instead of wasting his energy complaining. »
In general, he needs to focus on the essentials and reduce mistakes, like his spin during testing in Abu Dhabi or another one during an outing on a Friday. He needs to be more consistent, but the speed is there, as are the necessary qualities. The rest will come with routine, he explains.
Isack Hadjar is the fifth rookie to join the grid. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will debut with Mercedes, while Ollie Bearman will compete in his first full season with Haas, alongside Esteban Ocon. Jack Doohan will partner with Pierre Gasly at Alpine, and Bortoleto has been chosen to replace Valtteri Bottas at Sauber.
