Red Bull's Mekies defends Isack Hadjar despite disastrous Miami GP weekend

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has publicly backed rookie Isack Hadjar after a nightmare weekend in Miami, where the Frenchman was disqualified from qualifying, started from the pit lane, and crashed out on Lap 6. Despite being almost a second off Max Verstappen's pace at times, Mekies says the team is "not worried" about their young driver.

Why it matters:

Red Bull has a notorious track record of struggling to support a second driver alongside the four-time world champion. Hadjar, promoted from Racing Bulls, has faced early-season pressure to deliver, and a weekend like Miami could shake a rookie's confidence. But Mekies' public vote of confidence signals the team is taking a long-term view rather than panicking.

The details:

• Over the Miami weekend, Hadjar was frequently nearly a second slower than Verstappen in the RB22, finishing P9 in the Sprint while his teammate took P5.
• Red Bull failed to spot a floorboard infringement on Hadjar's car in qualifying, leading to disqualification and a pit-lane start for the Grand Prix.
• From the pit lane, Hadjar made a strong start, moving up to P15 by Lap 6. But he clipped the inside wall at the tight Turn 14 chicane, breaking his front-left suspension and causing a crash at the next corner.
• Mekies acknowledged the team's error: "We didn't help him either by sending him from the back of the grid after our mistake with the legality of the car. Not a clean weekend, but there is every indication that we'll be in the right speed again in Montreal."
• Hadjar himself admitted it was "a bit of a disaster from both our sides" but added: "We need to stick together and see what we can do the next weekend."

What's next:

Hadjar will have a two-week break before the Canadian GP, and he's already "itching" to get back in the car. With upgrades finally bringing more performance to the RB22, the 21-year-old is focusing on the positives. Red Bull will hope a cleaner weekend in Montreal lets Hadjar show the pace they believe he has.