Isack Hadjar lauded after impressive Red Bull recovery at F1 Belgian GP
Bernie Collins and Karun Chandhok have praised Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar after a stellar weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Sky Sports Formula 1 pundits applauded the French-Algerian driver for being the ultimate team player in qualifying and his charge from the back of the grid to finish sixth in the race.
Entering the 10th round of the 2026 season at Spa-Francorchamps, Hadjar faced a massive 30-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation, confining him to the rear of the grid.
As a result, the 21-year-old used the opportunity to aid his team-mate Max Verstappen by giving him a tow during qualifying.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 after the race, in which Hadjar finished sixth and Verstappen finished third, Chandhok explained: “I was asking some of the Red Bull guys on the grid about the slipstream yesterday, and they said Isack came on the radio and said, ‘Look, I know what you guys want, you want me to give Max the best slipstream, don’t micromanage it from the pitwall, I will keep an eye on my battery, I’ll keep an eye on the mirrors, and I’ll do it,’ and he did it.”
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Marc Fleury
In the race, Hadjar executed a brilliant strategy to climb from 21st on the starting grid to cross the line in an impressive sixth place.
“Fantastic strategy from the back of the grid. He really stuck with it through that hard stint to be ready to defend against Lando Norris,” Collins explained.
Hadjar leaves Belgium sitting eighth in the drivers’ championship with 60 points, 31 points behind his team-mate, who sits seventh with 91 points. The Red Bull drivers are still some way off the leaders, though. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who successfully converted pole position into a race win in Belgium, leads with 204 points.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team
