Laurent Mekies "very happy" with Isack Hadjar's first days at Red Bull

While Isack Hadjar hasn't exactly had the best of luck during testing in Bahrain, spending two long periods in the garage – the first last week and the second this morning – the young Frenchman is making a very good impression on his new Team Principal, Laurent Mekies. Mekies, who previously held the same role with Hadjar at the start of the 2025 season at Racing Bulls before moving to Red Bull in the summer, is very pleased with the initial signs from his new recruit, who has recently relocated to England to be as close as possible to the factory. Milton Keynes.

"He's been doing a really, really good job since he arrived.", he replied to AUTOhebdo's question at a press conference. "He moved to England in the first days of January, in the same vein as his move to Faenza a few days after his signing with Racing Bulls was officially announced. This proves how determined he is; he comes to the factory regularly, especially to the simulator, and he went back between the two rounds of testing in Bahrain.

According to Mekies, the 21-year-old Parisian wasted no time in settling into his new work environment, despite the challenges he faced, namely joining a new team and having less track time, as Red Bull continued to get to grips with its RB22 and its RBPT Ford power unit.

"He's fully integrated into the team, working with the engineers. He's had a bit of bad luck in terms of track time; he lost half a day last week and again this morning, but that's part of the game. Overall, I'm very happy with the initial signs he's showing us both in and out of the car."

Permane sees a "bright future" for Hadjar

Alan Permane, who succeeded Mekies as head of the Racing Bulls team, is not surprised to see his former driver adapt so quickly to his new environment. The Briton predicts a bright future for Isack Hadjar, who is preparing to challenge... Max Verstappen in a stable that the Dutchman has known for ten years now.

“Isack has everything it takes to be successful. He’s fast, curious, and always eager to learn more. When things aren’t going so well, and I saw that several times last year, the first area he looks at for improvement is himself. He doesn’t blame the car, the setup, the engine, anything; his first reaction is always to ask himself what he can do better. I think with that attitude, his future is truly bright.”

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