The Frenchman, surrounded by his jubilant team in the pit lane, put his third-place trophy on the ground for a photo — only for the base to snap off when he picked it back up.
Hadjar was left open-mouthed in disbelief before his mechanics drowned the moment in Red Bull spray, turning the mishap into a lighthearted footnote on a historic day.
The 20-year-old had just delivered the best result of his short career, converting a fourth-place start into third at the Dutch Grand Prix.
He held firm under pressure from Charles Leclerc and George Russell, and when Lando Norris retired late on with an engine failure, Hadjar seized his chance, staying ahead of Russell at the final restart to clinch his first podium in only his 15th F1 race.
“It feels a bit unreal,” Hadjar admitted. “What was most surprising for me was keeping that fourth place for the whole race.
“Unfortunately for Lando, we took advantage of his [retirement], but we made no mistakes.
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“The car was on rails the whole weekend, and I’m really happy about myself because I really maximised what I had, made no mistakes and brought home the podium, so I’m so happy for my guys.”
The result makes Hadjar the fifth youngest podium finisher in F1 history, and the youngest French driver ever to achieve the feat. He also became the eighth different driver to feature on the podium in 2025.
For Racing Bulls, the milestone was equally significant. It marked the team’s first top-three finish since Pierre Gasly’s third place in Baku in 2021, when the squad raced under the AlphaTauri name, and only the sixth podium in the history of the Faenza-based outfit across its eras as Minardi, Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and Racing Bulls.
Hadjar, who was also voted Driver of the Day, was quick to thank those who helped him reach the moment.
“Outstanding day,” he said. “I did not expect that waking up this morning.
“I was being very realistic, I know there was George behind me and both Ferraris. I also didn’t run on Friday – any long run – so I didn’t have a clue really.
“To cross the line third is just unreal. There’s more than one person [to thank]. Obviously, first of all, my parents, my mum, and then my dad, and, more sporting wise, then Helmut [Red Bull advisor, Marko], who gave me this shot.”
Marko, who has overseen Hadjar’s development through Red Bull’s junior ranks, was full of praise for the rookie.
“Hadjar had a fight with Leclerc, had a fight with Russell. He stayed calm, he didn’t anything wrong,” he told Sky Sports. “Even a fourth place would have been a big achievement but now a podium is of course even more surprise and he deserves it.
“We chose him, so we knew that he’s something special. I called him the ‘Little Prost’… people were laughing, like often, but now he delivered.”
Hadjar’s third place lifts him into 10th in the drivers’ standings on 37 points, level with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, while Racing Bulls climb to seventh in the constructors’ championship on 60 points.
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