Hadjar's surreal statistic that has the edge over both Verstappen and Tsunoda

It feels like a lifetime has passed since that infamous tearful moment following his retirement at Turn 1 at the start of the Australian Grand Prix — a race that marked an extremely unlucky beginning to the season for Isack Hadjar, who was promoted from Formula 2 this year after battling Gabriel Bortoleto for the title until the very end in 2024.

Shortly after his retirement and return to the paddock, the Frenchman was consoled by none other than Anthony Hamilton, father of the seven-time world champion, who on that occasion had kind words for the young Racing Bulls driver.

This was followed by the scathing words of Helmut Marko, who accused Hadjar of putting on “a tearful show,” labeling the incident as “a bit embarrassing.”

Since then, however, the Frenchman has come out fighting, steadily scoring points weekend after weekend and showcasing impressive speed — particularly in comparison to Liam Lawson, who was demoted to RB following a disastrous start to the season with Red Bull.

After nine races, Hadjar finds himself sensationally in ninth place in the standings with 21 points, 17 more than his teammate. Moreover, the Frenchman has scored points in three consecutive Grands Prix, even outscoring both Red Bull drivers over the last two rounds.

With a brilliant sixth-place finish in Monaco and seventh in Spain, Hadjar secured a haul of 14 points — one more than the combined total of Verstappen and Tsunoda — thanks in part to the penalty Verstappen received after his clash with George Russell.

A statistic that will certainly make Hadjar proud — though perhaps a little less so for Tsunoda, who once again failed to score points at Montmeló.