Isack Hadjar made it clear he is not angling for an immediate promotion to Red Bull despite his strong start to his rookie campaign.
Driving for Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, Hadjar lies ninth in the championship standings. He is ahead of his original team mate Yuki Tsunoda, who was promoted to Red Bull after the first two rounds, and Liam Lawson, who swapped places with him.
Just seven of Red Bull’s 144 points so far this year were scored by their second car. But despite Red Bull’s difficulty finding a suitable team mate for Max Verstappen, and the serious risk their lead driver could soon incur a race ban, Hadjar doesn’t feel ready to join them yet, calling the prospect “a bit scary.”
“I wouldn’t feel ready,” he told the official F1 channel. “I’m just nine races in and it looks to be complicated when I look at Yuki and Liam who are very quality drivers.” Lawson had only started 11 grands prix when he joined Red Bull this year.
Hadjar, who is making his first appearance at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend, indicated he would take up the challenge if it was offered to him. “I’m not very ready but I would always be here for the call, that’s for sure,” he said.
Both Tsunoda and Lawson performed better during their stints at Racing Bulls than they did at Red Bull. Hadjar said he’s content to stay where he is for the time being.
“I feel I always have that good pressure,” he said. “I don’t have a bad one, [just] the pressure to perform and deliver.
“At the moment, myself, I’m just enjoying a lot this new job and it’s going really well. I’m happy with the team I’m at and it’s great.”
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