Isack Hadjar implores Red Bull to 'dig' deep

Isack Hadjar has called on Red Bull to "dig" for more performance in a bid to reel in Mercedes and Ferrari over the second half of the F1 season.

The Frenchman is happy with the form he and the RB22 have shown over recent rounds, having signed off the summer break on a run of seven straight points finishes.

His best result for the Milton Keynes-based squad came at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he took fourth place.

It would have been a podium had it not been for Alpine's right of review into Pierre Gasly's time penalty, and that could yet change in Hadjar's favour with multiple appeals still to be considered, including one from Red Bull.

When his strong run of form was put to him at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the round prior to the mandated shutdown, he shared his satisfaction with getting the "most out of" a package he admits is not the "easiest" to contend with.

"Good," the one-time podium finisher replied to media, including RacingNews365, when asked what level of confidence he feels behind the wheel of the RB22. "It’s a car I handle well.

"It’s not the easiest to drive, but it’s consistent. I’ve got the most out of it for a few rounds now, so I’m definitely happy."

Red Bull started the year fighting in the lower reaches of the points against Haas and Alpine, but is now back in its more familiar territory, now in contention for podiums with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.

But despite the progress, with the RB22 having recovered almost a second of deficit to the front-running teams since the start of the campaign, Hadjar wants to see even more improvements when the season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August.

"We’re still not where I want to be," the 21-year-old added.

"There are still a few areas where we’re lacking competitiveness compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, so we still need to dig, but it’s definitely good progress."