Isack Hadjar shares hilarious cooldown room story from first F1 podium

Isack Hadjar has shared a funny story from his maiden podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix last year.

The Frenchman was enjoying a strong rookie season and was running in a healthy fourth place as the race from Zandvoort began to wind down.

A mechanical issue for McLaren's Lando Norris saw him drop out of contention, promoting Hadjar to third place behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.

As he celebrated his first F1 podium, Hadjar revealed that he was unaware drivers changed race suits after the podium ceremony, leaving him to conduct the post-race media duties with a race suit that stunk of sweat and champagne.

“It was a completely new procedure for me,” Hadjar told the Talking Bulls podcast. “I remember being in the cooldown room with Max and Oscar.

“They were all ready for that. They had their trainers with towels, they could change.

“I looked at Harry [Mann, performance coach], I was like ‘Have you brought me a towel?’ He was like, ‘No’. [I said] ’Do you have new underwear for me?’

“They all had brand new suits because after the podium, you stink.

“They got changed, they had this custom towel where they fit it around them so they can actually get changed. I was amazed.

“During the press conference, these guys smelled good and brand new. I was like ‘that’s not fair!’”

Hadjar's strong rookie campaign has seen him land a full-time seat at Red Bull alongside Verstappen for the 2026 season.

While he enjoyed a strong season with various point-scoring results, his season undoubtedly peaked with the podium at Zandvoort.

Reflecting on the emotions of the result, Hadjar said: “When I parked the car on the third board, I was on the left-hand side, and I was the closest to the grandstand.

“I jumped out of the car, I waved at the crowd. They responded back to me, and I was like 'this is insane'.”