Red Bull’s Hadjar explains why fair play defines both rivals
Isack Hadjar has praised Lewis Hamilton for winning without dirty tactics, and he places Kimi Antonelli in the same category. The Red Bull Racing driver made the remarks around the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend. The comments offer a revealing look at how a young driver on the current grid thinks about integrity, rivalry and respect inside one of the most competitive sports in the world.
Hadjar was direct about what he values in a racing driver. In his own words: “I think what I always admired about a driver like Lewis [Hamilton] is he has always been winning fair and square, he has never been dirty on track… I respect that approach, Kimi [Antonelli] is a similar driver. But everyone is unique and I respect it.”
The same wording has since circulated in social graphics headlined as Hadjar praising Hamilton and Antonelli for their clean racing. The quote was directly verified through social posts dated 6 November 2026. Hadjar’s phrasing is careful: he admires one approach, sees it in a second driver, and still stresses that every competitor is unique.
The wording matters. Hadjar uses the phrases “fair and square” and “dirty on track” to describe a reputation for clean competition. It is a statement of admiration, and it is reported here exactly as it appeared in the verified posts.
Why Hamilton’s Fair Play Resonates With Hadjar
The admiration is not new. In an earlier interview, Hadjar said: “He never won a title by playing dirty. He always won mano-a-mano, so it’s very fair play.” He added that Hamilton “always knew how to make a difference” and called his career “extremely inspiring.”
Hadjar has said he has supported Hamilton since he was very young, and that there is a lot of respect between them even as rivals. When asked what impresses him about Hamilton, he pointed specifically to Sunday race pace. He highlighted how Hamilton could start from the back and still fight through the field, using different lines and managing dirty air and DRS trains differently.
Notably, the admiration he describes is tied to specific racecraft rather than general praise. Starting from the back, passing through the field and handling dirty air and DRS trains are demanding tasks, and Hadjar names them directly.
Read together, the two statements show consistency. The earlier interview and the Brazil-weekend remarks both centre on the same idea: that winning cleanly, and winning in direct combat with rivals, carries a special value. For a driver now racing for Red Bull, that is a notable principle to state publicly.
Brazil 2021: Hadjar’s Favourite Formula 1 Moment
Hadjar has previously named Brazil 2021 as his favourite moment in Formula 1 history. He said: “I’m going to be so controversial now. And I love it. Brazil 21. I’m a big Lewis fan. That was a BIG weekend.”
The race is remembered for a remarkable recovery. Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying for a DRS infringement and dropped to the back for the Sprint. He then moved from last to fifth in the Sprint. In the Grand Prix, after a further five-place grid drop for a new engine, he climbed from tenth on the grid to victory.
RacingNews365 also describes the result as Max Verstappen’s defeat to Hamilton in the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix. Hadjar acknowledged that his pick was “controversial” given his Red Bull ties, which gives the choice added weight.
The sequence of a disqualification, a Sprint recovery, a grid penalty and a win explains why that weekend remains so widely discussed.
Hadjar, Hamilton and Antonelli on the 2026 Grid
Hadjar has been promoted to Red Bull Racing for 2026, where he races alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen. In the current grid listing, Hamilton drives for Ferrari and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes. The three drivers therefore represent three different teams, which makes Hadjar’s shared praise more notable.
Antonelli is described by Hadjar as a similar driver to Hamilton in this respect. That comparison links two drivers from different generations through a shared reputation for clean racing.
Importantly, Hadjar is not ranking driving styles as better or worse. He is saying that he personally admires the fair-play approach he attributes to Hamilton and sees something similar in Antonelli, while respecting that every driver is unique. That nuance matters, because it separates genuine admiration from criticism of other competitors.
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What Hadjar’s Comments Mean for Formula 1 Fans
It is worth being precise about what Hadjar did not say. No statement from him singling out Hamilton’s tyre management as the benchmark has been found in the sources checked. What he did emphasise, across the material reviewed, was race pace, lines and racecraft in traffic.
For readers, the takeaway is straightforward. Hadjar admires a style of racing built on fair, direct contests, and he sees that same trait in Antonelli. With the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend drawing attention to Brazil, his words also link the present grid to one of the sport’s most memorable recent races. They offer a clear, documented view of how a Red Bull driver sees two of his contemporaries.
Context also matters when reading a driver’s praise for rivals. Hadjar made these remarks as a Red Bull driver speaking about drivers at Ferrari and Mercedes, and he framed them clearly as personal admiration rather than a verdict on the grid.
This report relies on Hadjar’s direct wording as it appeared in verified posts and on documented facts about Brazil 2021. Where a claim could not be confirmed, it has been left out. Readers are encouraged to consult original footage and official timing for full context.