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Visa Cash App Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar rounded off a memorable weekend with a flawless drive at the Dutch Grand Prix as he became the fifth youngest driver in Formula One history to finish on the podium. The 20-year-old qualified in fourth place on Saturday and took advantage of a late retirement from Lando Norris to secure third position at the Circuit Zandvoort.
“That feels a bit unreal. What was most surprising to me is keeping that fourth place for the whole race,” said Hadjar. “Unfortunately for Norris, we took advantage but we made no mistake and the car was unreal all weekend. I’m really happy for myself because I really maximised what I had, made no mistakes and brought home the podium. I’m so happy for my guys.”
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was equally impressive on his home circuit, delighting the fans as he finished in second place behind race winner Oscar Piastri. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda was also able to finish in the points as he moved from 12th at the start to ninth place at the chequered flag, while Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson finished in 12th place.
Oracle Red Bull Racing
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 2nd
“For me today, the highlight of the race was the first half when I was trying to get a spot and overtake. It was good to initially get the overtake but after Lando passed me again, I knew we had to manage our tyres and our pace for the rest of the race and keep everyone behind. The car did snap a bit on the first lap and I felt like I was doing a bit of drifting as there was a lot of sand on turn two. Qualifying was a big step forward for us, but today it was a bit more difficult as we were struggling on the long runs and it was more of a fight behind me. We got lucky with P2 as we couldn’t match the pace of the McLarens in the race and were struggling with the tyre behaviour and grip in the low speed. Despite this, I’m very happy for Isack to get his first podium: he had a fantastic weekend and good lap times and coming in as a rookie is always hard and he has done really well.”
YUKI TSUNODA – 9th
“It was a crazy race, I had a big issue in the last stint where I lost power in the car. It was a difficult race to manage, the safety cars happened at horrible times for me and then we had the issue, so it was a tricky race. I stayed focused and just tried to adapt with the issue and try to get into the points which we did. Ultimately I’m happy with P9 and it’s good to be back into the points which gives me confidence. The last three races the Team have given me a lot to increase performance in the car and this is a step in the right direction. Also, a massive congratulations to Isack and his team as I know what this result means to them.”
LAURENT MEKIES – Team Principal & CEO
“Certainly, for Max this result was the absolute maximum, it was really everything he could have got out of the car. We had a very aggressive approach, starting on the soft, and Max had a fantastic first lap again. It also came with some risk, we knew the McLarens had the pace and we knew it would be tough to beat them. Starting on that compound was probably the only way to have a go at them. Max did a great job of managing the soft and then he was positive on the medium too and really pushed it, it was very much the Red Bull spirit. Lando was unlucky, but it meant it was good points for the Team and combined with Yuki being back in the points, it makes it a strong Sunday for us. Yuki has been progressing well, the timing of the first safety car probably didn’t help him today and he could have finished higher up. So, it’s step by step for Yuki, the trend is positive, and he is continuing to do the hard work and keep his head down. Lastly, a huge well done to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and Isack on his first ever podium, it is a special day for Red Bull and he deserves this, as do all the people there. Sharing the podium with Max for him was a special day, this Dutch Grand Prix has a special energy and level of passion, and we all felt that.”
