Laurent Mekies has described Isack Hadjar’s third-place finish at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP as the best race he has delivered with Red Bull, praising the Frenchman’s pace, race intelligence and continued development.
Hadjar secured an impressive podium finish at Interlagos, capping off a weekend in which he steadily built his confidence and performance after initially struggling to find his rhythm.
Having finished ninth on Friday, the Frenchman continued to make progress as the weekend unfolded, eventually putting together a standout performance in challenging conditions to claim his place on the podium.
His ability to extract pace from the car across different conditions particularly impressed Mekies, who believes the result represented another significant step forward in Hadjar’s development.
“I think ultimately, if you ask me right now, I think it’s the best race he has done with us,” Mekies said speaking after the race in a print media session.
“In terms of pure pace, that’s what we look at. Pure pace on the dry, on the inters, in super difficult conditions, in how clever he has been racing.”
The Red Bull team principal highlighted the Frenchman’s ability to adapt throughout the race, with Hadjar demonstrating both the speed and composure required to convert a challenging weekend into a podium finish.
While Hadjar has already produced several impressive performances throughout the season, including in Baku, Mekies believes his São Paulo display raised the standard once again.
“He has done a lot of very strong races this year, you know, Baku. But I think he has raised the bar another time.”
Red Bull encouraged by Hadjar’s continued progress
Hadjar’s 2026 F1 São Paulo GP podium further underlined why Red Bull has committed to his future for 2027, with Mekies identifying the driver’s continued improvement as one of the most important factors behind the decision.
“That’s what we want to keep seeing. You know, that’s what we say we were most impressed by when we took the decision to confirm him for 27.
“It’s the way he has been keeping raising the bar, and we are simply hoping to provide him with the environment for him to keep doing that.”
Mekies’ comments also came after Hadjar delivered another convincing answer to questions about his potential to challenge towards the front of the field.
Asked whether the Frenchman was approaching the point where he could regularly challenge for victories in the right circumstances, Mekies pointed towards the qualities demonstrated throughout the São Paulo weekend.
Hadjar’s ability to combine outright speed with intelligent decision-making, particularly in difficult conditions, has strengthened the impression that he is continuing to develop into a driver capable of fighting at the front.
Building performance over the weekend
Mekies also acknowledged that the podium came after Hadjar had gradually built his performance across the weekend, rather than immediately finding his strongest form.
“I think he has done that today, in terms of race. And you are right, in the context where he has been building for the weekend.”
For Hadjar, the São Paulo podium marks another important step in his Formula 1 progression, particularly after a weekend that required him to build his confidence and pace as conditions evolved.
Having already shown flashes of his potential throughout the season, his performance at Interlagos offered another indication of what he could achieve when everything comes together.
With Red Bull having already committed to him for 2027, Hadjar will be looking to carry that momentum into the remaining rounds, as he continues to establish himself as one of the most promising young drivers on the grid.
