Isack Hadjar suffered a heartbreaking moment while celebrating his maiden Grand Prix podium, snapping his trophy in half during the team photographs. The French-Algerian racer capitalised on Lando Norris’ mechanical DNF to cross the line in third place at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Hadjar was the star of the show during qualifying on Saturday, placing his Racing Bulls machine on the second row of the grid, behind only pole-sitter Oscar Piastri, Norris, and home hero Max Verstappen. On raceday, he held off the likes of Charles Leclerc and George Russell behind, and was promoted to third in the running order when McLaren’s British star suffered a heartbreaking mechanical failure seven laps from the end.
The 20-year-old enjoyed unforgettable podium celebrations with Piastri and Verstappen, but when he was celebrating with his team after the race, disaster struck. A look of horror washed over Hadjar’s face as he snapped the stem of his blue and white trophy, and that expression was matched by test and reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa to his right.
Nevertheless, this was a breakthrough weekend for Hadjar, who has dazzled Red Bull bosses with his performances at times. His stock within the paddock continues to rise, and has done since his formation-lap crash on debut in Australia.
“What was most surprising for me is keeping that fourth place for the whole race,” Hadjar said after sealing his first top-three finish. “Unfortunately for Lando, we took advantage, but we made no mistake. The car was on rails the whole weekend and I’m really happy about myself, because I really maximised what I had.
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“Made no mistakes and brought home the podium, so I’m so happy for my guys.” Hadjar went on to add: “That was always the target since I was a kid. This is the first step, my first podium, and hopefully much more [will follow].”
There was much less to celebrate in the other half of the Racing Bulls garage. Liam Lawson also lined up in an impressive grid position and, after Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the race on lap 22, was poised for a top-seven finish.
However, at the ensuing safety car restart, he collided with Williams racer Carlos Sainz in a heavily debated crash that left both drivers with damage and resulted in a 10-second time penalty for the Spaniard. Both men crossed the line comfortably outside of the point positions.
