Laurent Mekies has showered praise on Red Bull’s new recruit Isack Hadjar after the young Frenchman delivered a thrilling glimpse of his potential during the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
The 21-year-old’s race in Melbourne ultimately ended in frustration due to a power unit failure, but not before he had already turned heads across the paddock.
A stunning third-place qualifying performance and a lightning launch that nearly put him into the race lead marked a statement debut for the 21-year-old charger.
For a team that has struggled to find a driver capable of matching four-time world champion Max Verstappen in the second car, Hadjar’s early pace has sparked real excitement.
“He did a fantastic weekend,” said Mekies. “Coming here, fairly limited mileage in testing, with a bit of lack of luck there, and he came here from the very first lap, FP1, Friday, on the right pace.
“We were able to split the testing programme between the cars, get double the amount of information. He went to qualifying with everything, that means a first time qualifying with these rules, absolutely nailed it. Put the car in P3, which is probably as high as it could have been on Saturday.
“So, hats off, really and today, he was on his way to have a mega start before he realised we didn't have the battery charge and I think the pace would have been good enough to fight with the McLaren.”
A Debut That Turned Heads
Hadjar’s performance was all the more impressive given the disrupted preparation he endured during pre-season testing, where mechanical issues limited his running.
Yet from the moment the cars hit the track in Melbourne, the young gun looked comfortable and fast – a combination Red Bull has long sought in the second seat.
His explosive start on Sunday hinted at an early fight at the front alongside his Mercedes and Ferrari rivals. But an almost immediate lack of battery charge prevented Hadjar from holding his own.
Battery Trouble Derails the Charge
Mekies admitted the problem was ultimately down to the team’s own miscalculation during the formation lap procedures.
“It's our responsibility to avoid that situation,” added Mekies. “We have been caught by some limitations of the way you can charge and discharge the battery in the formation lap.
“If we are the only ones who have been caught by that, it means that we have not done a very good job. So, it's what it is.
“Basically, with the unusual behaviours that drivers need to have on a formation lap, with acceleration, braking, acceleration, braking to warm your brakes, to warm your tyres, etc, we ended up in a point where we were unable anymore to get to the right state of charge for the race start.
“We had to build up that battery level through the first lap, which obviously was not enjoyable.”
Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Australian Grand PrixDespite the mechanical heartbreak that ended Hadjar’s race early, the signs from Melbourne suggest Red Bull may finally have found the teammate capable of pushing Verstappen at the front.
If Hadjar’s opening laps – and Mekies’ glowing praise – are anything to go by, the Frenchman’s F1 story may be only just getting started.
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