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Isack Hadjar claimed his first podium as a Red Bull driver at the Monaco Grand Prix, and it was as dramatic as the principality demands. Starting from fifth on the grid, Hadjar immediately benefited when Max Verstappen stalled at the start — a cruel blow for the four-time world champion, who limped back to the pits before retiring from the race.
From that point, Hadjar's afternoon was anything but straightforward. Car problems plagued him throughout, prompting frantic radio exchanges with his team, and he lost positions to both Pierre Gasly and George Russell on the road. Yet Monaco's characteristic chaos ultimately worked in his favour.
Gasly crossed the finish line third, around three seconds clear of Hadjar — but a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped the Alpine driver down to seventh. Russell, meanwhile, received a drive-through penalty after a mix-up in serving a prior sanction, leaving him outside the points entirely. For a detailed breakdown of how Russell's Monaco weekend unravelled from start to finish, the full story makes for sobering reading.
Hadjar himself was placed under investigation for potential infringements of both red flag and safety car procedures during the race, but was cleared on both counts. In many ways, his afternoon was a microcosm of the Monaco Grand Prix at its most unruly.
Writing on Instagram after his early exit, Verstappen was gracious in defeat: "Disappointing. At least I was home early. @isackhadjar congrats on your first podium with the team."
In the post-race press conference, fellow podium finisher Lewis Hamilton offered a more poetic tribute, drawing a direct parallel between Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and his own early career.
"It's a real privilege to witness it, be on the podium with two of the youngest guys here," Hamilton said. "[They] very much kind of remind me of me when I was back in 2007."
For Hadjar — known to idolise Hamilton — it was perhaps the ultimate compliment.
This was Hadjar's second podium in Formula 1 and the first for a Verstappen teammate since Sergio Perez at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. Despite retirements on both sides of the Red Bull garage obscuring the team's true pace, Hadjar has made a quietly compelling case for himself in Milton Keynes. He has maintained a 100% Q3 record and now sits on 29 points — more than predecessor Yuki Tsunoda accumulated across 20 appearances last season.
One note of caution remains: Alpine have lodged a right of review over Gasly's penalty, meaning the podium is not yet completely sealed. However, a result reversal at this stage appears unlikely.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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