Mekies calls Hadjar’s Sao Paulo drive his best race with Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies called Isack Hadjar’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix performance his best race with the team after the driver finished third at Interlagos on Sunday, 8 November. The result gave Red Bull a double podium, with Max Verstappen second, according to Reuters.

The assessment was about Hadjar’s “pure pace”, Mekies told reporters. Hadjar started fifth and finished behind race winner Lando Norris and Verstappen, who climbed from 21st on the grid.

• Hadjar started fifth and finished third, his third podium of the season.
• Verstappen recovered from 21st to second, completing Red Bull’s double podium.
• Hadjar’s earlier third places came in Monaco and Azerbaijan; he also had retirements in Australia and Miami.

How Hadjar’s Sao Paulo result fits his season

The Sao Paulo podium was Hadjar’s third in his debut season with Red Bull. He had previously finished third in Monaco and Azerbaijan. Those results came in a campaign that also included retirements in Australia and Miami, giving context to Mekies’s emphasis on the consistency he wants from the team’s second car.

Verstappen’s recovery and the Red Bull double podium

Motorsport.com reported that Verstappen had warned after qualifying that overtaking at the Sao Paulo circuit would be harder than in previous years. He nevertheless finished second after starting 21st. Mekies said no simulation could have predicted the recovery, and described Verstappen as “beating the sim on a regular basis”.

Mekies said a small issue on Friday forced an unplanned power unit penalty, sending Verstappen to the back of the grid. He said it was the team’s first penalty with Verstappen in its first year with the power unit, and praised the team’s work. The NZ Herald’s reported finishing order also placed Hadjar third behind Norris and Verstappen.

What it means

Hadjar’s result helped Red Bull secure two places on the Sao Paulo podium, while his contract extension keeps him with the team through 2027. Mekies’s stated aim is to give him the conditions to continue raising his level; the team’s praise was tied specifically to his pace in this race.

The race also produced a strong result for Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. The NZ Herald reported that the event moved from wet to dry and back to wet; Lawson started third and briefly ran second before losing places as the track dried and faster cars passed. He crossed the line eighth, then was promoted to seventh after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty for contact with a Racing Bulls car. Lawson’s seventh place was his 15th points finish of the campaign, matching Pierre Gasly’s single-season record for the team.