Red Bull star says his first F1 podium left a bad smell, literally

Verstappen and Hadjar mid-discussion on a paddock walk — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Red Bull star says his first F1 podium left a bad smell, literally

Podium etiquette is quite intricate

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 13 January 2026 22:42

Red Bull F1 star Isack Hadjar says his first podium in the sport left a bad smell - quite literally.

The French driver earned his first F1 podium in his rookie season with Racing Bulls, benefitting from a McLaren oil leak and Lando Norris retiring from the race, gifting Hadjar third place.

Nevertheless, Hadjar put on a impressive display in Saturday's qualifying to claim fourth on the grid, ensuring he was in the right place to mop up the final podium position alongside race winner Oscar Piastri and second place Max Verstappen.

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Hadjar's strong rookie season, finishing as the second best Red Bull driver 12th in the standings, earned him the promotion alongside Max Verstappen as his team-mate for 2026, where hopefully podium appearances will become a more frequent occurrence.

Hadjar's podium mishap

During a recent appearance on the Talking Bull podcast, Hadjar reflected on his first podium in F1 and the error that forced him to remain in his sweaty racesuit.

“I remember being in the cooldown room with Max and Oscar. And they were ready for that. And they had their trainers with towels, so they could change and I was like… and I looked at Harry [Mann, performance coach], my guy. I was like ‘you brought me a towel?’ He was like ‘no'," Hadjar explained.

"And they all had brand new suits because after the podium you stink and they get changed and they had this custom towel where they fit it around them so they can actually get changed without- I was amazed. I was like wow.”

When asked if he went up to the podium in his 'disgusting sweaty suit', Hadjar responded: "Yeah exactly. During the press conference and these guys smelled good. They were brand new and I was like ‘that's not fair.’”

F1 Red Bull Isack Hadjar Zandvoort