Isack Hadjar told to "cheer up" as "self-critical" nature downplays strong results

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has opened up about his self-critical nature despite a strong start to his Formula 1 career

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has revealed he has been told to "cheer up" after a number of good results have impressed since his entry to Formula 1. The French-Algerian driver currently sits 11th in the drivers' standings with 22 points after 13 races.

Despite a strong start to the season, Hadjar has admitted that his self-criticism has meant he often doubts himself.

"If you make it to F1, then it's not by luck, so obviously you know you're quite OK. But at the same time, you always have doubts, and it's normal," he told Motorsport.com and other media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"You always question yourself with, 'Am I good enough?' And that's what I thought. I had doubts because I didn't have a lot of mileage. It's a big step to F1. But in the end, now I'm fully used to the speed, and no, I'm not surprised [how quickly I've adapted to F1]."

He continued, crediting support from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko for his help during the early stages of his career.

"I think raw speed and talent has always been there. I didn’t learn how to drive faster the last three seasons. It's not true. I remember my year in Hitech in F2 was an absolute nightmare, and I had this moment where I’m like, 'Yeah, I’m never going to make it to F1.'

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

"But thankfully I had very strong support from Helmut. He kept believing and gave me a second chance, which I took. So as well as mental strength - obviously, because you need to not give up in those moments - you need strong people around and people that trust in you, and this is what I had. Really good people around who believed in me, and that’s how I got back up, basically."

The 20-year-old was further questioned on his tendency to be self-critical.

"It's just that when I have a very good result and I know there was more left on the table and I could have done a better job, I tend to not be - I'm self-critical a lot."

He commented further, admitting that his own team had specifically asked him to address this.

"I've been told by my entourage I need to cheer up a bit more because the mechanics, the engineers, they need to hear positive things. But I can tell you, when I do the job and I’m happy with myself, if there’s someone that celebrates and goes crazy, it’s me. But it’s quite rare."