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Isack Hadjar could have “very bright” future, says Christian Horner.
“I think he’s been the most outstanding of the rookies,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Canal+.
3 Jun 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports
Whilst Lawson has worked to re-acclimatise to Red Bull’s second team, Hadjar has relentlessly been scoring points. In combination with his regular Q3 appearances, the Frenchman is now a common presence in the top 10. Red Bull are taking notice of this, with Christian Horner praising the youngster’s performances last weekend in Spain:
“I think he’s been the most outstanding of the rookies,” he told Canal+. “The expectation on him wasn’t as high as he’s delivered so far. He’s exceeded all our expectations, he’s been fast, he’s been consistent. He’s constantly delivered, and I think it’s been a great start to his Formula 1 career.”
“And I think he just needs to keep that momentum running.” When asked about what he foresees in Hadjar’s future, Horner responded: “His future, if keeps performing as he is, is very bright.”
‘Most outstanding of the rookies’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...istian-horner/
Simon Lazenby shares what jubilant Racing Bulls staff said off the record after Isack Hadjar heroics
5 June 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer
Jubilant Racing Bulls staff were ‘at pains to say’ that they outscored Mercedes in the European triple header. Racing Bulls’ form have made them serious contenders in the midfield in 2025. It has even seen them outperform frontrunners in recent races.
Mercedes had a disastrous triple header, with Kimi Antonelli failing to score a point after suffering two mechanical issues at Imola and Barcelona. George Russell scored 18 points in the last three races, which is two less than what Hadjar and Lawson managed for Racing Bulls.
Hadjar Lawson Russell Antonelli
Emilia Romagna GP 9th 14th 7th DNF
Monaco GP 6th 8th 11th 18th
Spanish GP 7th 11th 4th DNF
Points 16 4 18 0
‘Outscored Mercedes in the European triple header’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/sim...adjar-heroics/
Hadjar had ‘a lot of fun’ in ‘best race we could have done’
04/06/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Isack Hadjar continued his impressive run of form in Barcelona last weekend, bringing his RB01 home in seventh place after a gritty, strategic drive that the Racing Bulls charger described as “a lot of fun” as he went toe-to-toe with a F1 veterans.
“Really happy, it is the best race we could have done,” commented the rookie. “I really enjoyed it as well as there was some really good fighting, especially on Lap 1 with Fernando and Pierre, honestly I had a lot of fun and overtook a few cars as well,” the rookie said.
“Good pace on the medium was I think our strength and we made the most of it, extended on the soft, honestly we played it really well today. It’s just a shame at the end that Nico [Hulkenberg] on new tyres got us but, you know, he was way too fast for us.”
“Best race we could have done”;
https://f1i.com/news/540829-hadjar-h...have-done.html
Hadjar declares points run in Spain ‘a lot of fun’ as Racing Bulls team mate Lawson reflects on factor that ‘screwed’him
3 Jun 2025
Formula One - Official Site
Isack Hadjar continued his strong run of form with a seventh-placed finish in Spain, calling the race “a lot of fun” as he battled his way to his third points score in a row. But there were contrasting fortunes for Liam Lawson, who also found himself with his elbows out on a number of occasions. The Kiwi racer tried his best, but ultimately came home just outside the points in P11.
Hadjar managed to hold position off the line from P9, battling hard with fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly in the early stages. Those two had stayed up late watching Paris Saint-Germain play in the Champions League the night before, but there were no signs that either were taking it easy on the other once the visors went down. Hadjar only dropped to 10th after his first pit stop and remained in the top 10 after his second stop. He was running seventh at the Safety car restart, but had had to fit used soft tyres – while Nico Hulkenberg behind had a fresh set of boots on. Although Hadjar lost out to the Kick Sauber, he crossed the line eighth – inheriting seventh when Max Verstappen had a penalty applied.
Team mate Lawson was also in the thick of the action. He pulled out an incredible late-braking move on Alex Albon, although the two did make contact at one point. He then tried something similar on Ollie Bearman later in the race, doing everything he could to move forward from P13 on the grid. Lawson found himself 10th at the Safety Car restart, but he had stuck with his original soft tyres – which were already 14 laps old when the Safety Car appeared. That left him a sitting duck at the end, as he lost out to Fernando Alonso to wind up 11th.
‘Contrasting fortunes’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...SMtPt5NITNlkl2
Liam Lawson takes responsibility for Spanish GP incident: 'Completely on me'
Liam Lawson narrowly finished outside of the points in the Spanish Grand Prix, after fierce battles with Ollie Bearman.
2 June 2025
Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Liam Lawson has taken responsibility for the contact with Ollie Bearman in the Spanish Grand Prix during their fierce battle. The battle between Bearman and Lawson was the highlight of a rather drab Barcelona race up until the late safety car, with Bearman just about managing to stay ahead of the Racing Bulls driver.
During one incident at Turn 1, Lawson clipped Bearman, forcing the Haas driver to take to the run-off, and as per the overtaking guidelines, was not entitled to space as his front wing was not alongside the mirror of the Haas. Bearman cut through the Turn 1 run-off, but given the circumstances, no further action was taken against Lawson, as Bearman was still ahead at the apex.
‘Narrowly finished outside of the points’;
https://racingnews365.com/liam-lawso...mpletely-on-me
Liam Lawson theory rejected by Racing Bulls boss: 'It was not us'
Liam Lawson is settling back into life at Racing Bulls, and his boss Laurent Mekies has rejected one theory.
6 June 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies has rejected the idea that the team 'rebuilt' Liam Lawson following his brutal axe from Red Bull. "No, it is not us rebuilding Liam," Mekies told Sky Sports F1 when asked if the team had rebuilt Lawson's confidence.
"Liam got here, he had to jump in the car, and in-season, that is very difficult, and it was difficult for Yuki to go [to Red Bull], it is difficult to jump into a car he has not driven at all. So it took some time, not so much to rebuild the confidence, but to actually get used to our car, and the lap-time is being unlocked at every race.”
"But again, I would not call it confidence. I would say it is just him getting on top of the car, being more and more comfortable in it and being able to push in it."
‘Settling back into life at Racing Bulls’;
https://racingnews365.com/liam-lawso...-it-was-not-us
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Why Williams is sacrificing its best F1 season in a decade.
On its day, this year's Williams is more than just best of the midfield: it's sniping at underperforming giants. No more so than the last race in Miami, where Williams was within four tenths of pole position and comfortably clear of its usual rivals.
14 May 2025
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
There's a balance most teams are trying to strike between aggressively developing for next year's all-new rules while continuing to bring improvements to this year's car early on, and Williams is all-in on 2026 in terms of active development.
So how much is Williams sacrificing to do that? Well, on Miami form, you would say the potential to consolidate fifth in the championship and maybe even make some inroads on any faltering giants. On other 2025 weekends you would say it is giving up a definite position at or close to the head of the midfield and could struggle to score points at all by the end of the year.
Team boss James Vowles does not believe Williams can realistically be a frontrunner again until 2027 or 2028 because it is coming from such a low base. And as Williams had struggled to make an obvious leap before this year, to the outside world the project has had a lot of convincing talk without the progress on-track to back it up.
‘Sacrificing its best F1 season in a decade’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...n-in-a-decade/
Williams’ James Vowles ‘backing failure’ in bid to guide team to F1 summit
James Vowles believes Williams’ upsurge is due to a ‘really open, honest culture’.
31 May 2025
Giles Richards
Yahoo! Sport
Finding themselves fighting off Ferrari and mauling the midfield, these are heady times for a resurgent Williams. The team principal James Vowles has engineered an extraordinary comeback but this year’s progress is likely to be just the start for a team determined to return to the heights of Formula One, which they once dominated.
That Williams’ form has changed drastically could not have been clearer than at the Miami GP. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were in a fight with the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia finding themselves at one point trying to catch Albon, who took fifth place and at the same time fending off a charging Sainz.
Vowles, who has an engineer’s bent for breaking down questions to ensure they have been comprehensively examined, plays down his role in the turnaround but it is impossible to ignore that he has been at the helm and had the force of will to see it through. Fighting for titles is now the very real expectation.
‘Backing failure’;
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/wil...070040133.html
Albon: How Barcelona exposed Williams flaws – and the need to “take the medicine”
JUNE 6, 2025
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog
“I don’t care, put it all be one race,” said Albon when I put that to him. “We’ll get it all done with, and then we’ll move on to Canada! In all seriousness, I think as bad as it looks today, there’s some learnings from this weekend. I think we’ve shown that our car is going in the right direction. Q2 and P11 proves that. It shows we still have work to do. We’re not this ultra-midfield car that that’s quick everywhere. We still have our flaws and our weaknesses.”
“There’s a clear trend now that pretty much everyone around us is already upgraded, so we will inevitably fall down the pecking order eventually. We need to look at this track and understand why is it always this circuit that hurts us? We know it’s long corners, but we need to understand why the long corners. And in the race honestly, I think we could have been fighting for points. Could have, would have, should have.”
“Take the medicine”;
https://adamcooperf1.com/2025/06/06/...-the-medicine/
Albon: Williams must identify Spain weakness “to be a top team”
June 4, 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports
Williams failed to secure points in Barcelona last weekend, which is the first race they left have empty-handed since Bahrain. Unlike in Bahrain, however, it was not poor Safety Car timing or a racing incident that cost the Grove-based team in Spain.
Alex Albon explained post-race, Williams must learn from tough races like the Spanish GP if they want to progress: “We lost out quite heavily at the beginning and were on the back foot into Turn 1. The cars ahead were avoiding each other, and I was the one to get hit. So we were forced onto a three-stop strategy to replace my front wing.”
“I tried my best to stay out of the way in each incident, but we ended up with damage both times. We need to look at this track and understand why it’s such a challenge for us. I want us to be a top team, and it’s important to put the car to the test at tracks like this so we can learn valuable lessons and optimise our car for the future. Overall, I feel like I’m in a good rhythm with the car and I’m looking forward to Canada.”
“To be a top team”’
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...be-a-top-team/
Nothing went Williams' way admit drivers in ‘messy’ Spanish GP
03/06/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Williams’ recent run of form came to a grinding halt at the Spanish Grand Prix, where the team endured one of its most chaotic and fruitless races of the season. At a circuit ill-suited for the British outfit’s FW46, the combination of poor starts, in-race incidents, and technical woes made for a disastrous Sunday in Barcelona.
Alex Albon was forced to retire after breaking two front wings and serving a penalty, while teammate Carlos Sainz – racing at home in front of the Spanish crowd – could only manage a distant 14th after sustaining early damage and battling overheating issues throughout the race.
‘Chaotic and fruitless race’;
https://f1i.com/news/540790-nothing-...panish-gp.html
Spanish Grand Prix: Why Williams were so far behind as Carlos Sainz finishes 15th in home race
1 Jun 2025
David George
National World
Team boss James Vowels had already been tempering expectations for this weekend, claiming that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya does not suit the Williams FW47. Historically, the team’s cars have always performed better at high-speed circuits where there is little to no wind.
Vowels has told the media that the FW47 will not see any upgrades for the remainder of the season, with all attention at Grove being turned towards the 2026 regulations. So we could well see Williams fall down the pecking order as the year goes on.
‘Why Williams were so far behind’;
https://www.nationalworld.com/sport/...s-15th-5155271
How Spain exposed Williams weakness that needs fixing despite 2026 F1 rules reset
5 Jun 2025
Harry Whitfield
Motorsport Week
Williams left Barcelona with more questions than answers, as familiar struggles resurfaced at a track that continues to highlight a key limitation the team must overcome ahead of Formula 1’s 2026 rules reset. Albon acknowledged the relief of moving past the difficult Spanish GP weekend, but he emphasised the value of racing on tracks that exposed Williams limitations.
“It might sound weird, but I enjoy coming to these tracks,” he added. “I want us to be a top team, and I know that these are the tracks that we need to be better at, if we are going to be one. It’s good to take our medicine and to understand it, and to really put the car to the test. Look at it, see it visually, we’ve got a lot to do here, let’s really get on top of it. We’ve improved the car everywhere, and we’ve definitely improved the car in long corners, but it’s still a step behind some of the others.”
“It might sound weird”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...1-rules-reset/
Williams still seeking to iron out ‘nasty elements’ from FW47
06/06/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Williams team principal James Vowles has hailed the team’s impressive progress this season but acknowledged that the FW47 still carries some lingering flaws that need to be addressed. "I'm proud of the progress the team is making, and obviously, having two world-class drivers helps a lot," Vowles told the media in Barcelona.
"We've developed the car, and it has come alive. We've made some small mechanical improvements, so it is a good step in the right direction, but we haven't eliminated all of the nasty elements that are in our car." Asked if Williams intended to further develop its current car, Vowles admitted it would be “tough” given the amount of resources that have already been channeled into its 2026 project.
"That is the reality behind it, and we've been very candid that the '26 car was in the wind tunnel very early on," he explained. "The 2026 project is going well, we had to do that because we're in a different position, perhaps to most, where that clean sheet of paper – we're not carrying anything across at all – gives us an ability to do a full reset. We can fix some things that perhaps we should have done a few years ago, but it's very difficult to do in that cycle; that's our reasoning behind it."
‘Iron out ‘nasty elements’ from FW47’;
https://f1i.com/news/540955-williams...from-fw47.html
