Senior F1 boss hails rising star: 'He's like a living Red Bull'

Isack Hadjar has been hailed as the living epitome of Red Bull - "raw, unfiltered, honest".

Hadjar suffered a moment of sheer dejection when on his F1 debut with Racing Bulls, following his promotion from F2 last season after finishing as the runner-up in the championship, he crashed on the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix.

In the harsh glare of the Red Bull spotlight, the 20-year-old French-Algerian could easily have folded from such an abject scene. Instead, he has proven himself to be made of sterner stuff.

Racing Bulls CEO recalls the moment he knew he had to go and speak with Hadjar.

"I was live on Sky Germany when it [the crash] happened," said Bayer, speaking in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.

"I said, 'Look, this can happen to anyone'. Honestly, five seconds later, Carlos Sainz went into a wall. It was so slippery that day, it was particularly difficult.

"He was very nervous because it was his first race. I remember on the grid, seeing him before he took off, I could see his pupils. He was in the zone, and he just made a mistake.

"In the end, I think everybody felt for him. His reaction was raw, unfiltered, honest, and that's what people love about him. That's what we love about him.

"I knew I was going to have to see him, knowing he would be heartbroken, and then Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] sent me a text asking where I was. I told him I was going to see Isack, and he said, 'Can I come?', and I said, 'Yes, please, come. It would be great'.

"We went in, and he had his helmet on, and he was desperate. We told him, 'Don't worry, we're here for you. Take your time and you will come back stronger', and he has."

Hadjar bounced back spectacularly, qualifying seventh for the Chinese Grand Prix a week after Melbourne, and finishing 11th.

In Japan, Hadjar scored his first points for the team with eighth, following up a fortnight later with 10th in Saudi Arabia.

Bayer could not be more delighted with Hadjar's response over the past few weeks.

"He's just a genuine racer," said Bayer. "One of my sons is karting, and Isack reminds me so much about the kids I meet every weekend when I'm with him. He's raw racing. That's all they care about.

"At the same time, he's witty, ironic, he doesn't take himself too seriously. Honestly, he's like a living Red Bull. All the values about what Red Bull is in person, sort of, that's Isack.

"He's a good racer, he's naturally quick."