Portugal Colonial - Hadjar wants to 'fight for the title' from next season

The Frenchman has enjoyed a solid first season with Red Bull, where he is the team-mate of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, and was rewarded for his efforts with a contract extension last week.

Hadjar is eighth in the standings on 86 points after missing three Grands Prix in August and September with a broken wrist.

He returned for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend and finished third.

"I'd been chasing that podium for a while," Hadjar said on Thursday of his second top-three finish -- following his P3 at Monaco, which came about a couple of months after the fact when Pierre Gasly was demoted from the podium on appeal.

"I wanted to earn it on my own merits, and it feels good," he added.

"Does it give me more confidence? I don't know, because the hardest part is always following it up. Finishing sixth is cool, but that's not what I want."

The former Racing Bulls driver said last weekend's GP showed he and Verstappen "work well" together, even if they both want to win races.

"I just want to fight for wins, to go head-to-head with the guys -- the big names," Hadjar said.

Hadjar admitted that "this year, we're not in the running for a title", but said he was hopeful Red Bull would soon be able to produce a car that would allow him and Verstappen to challenge Mercedes's championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Hadjar said he wants to emulate France's only previous world champion Alain Prost, who won four titles between 1985 and 1993.

"Next year, we won't have a car that will dominate the championship. But we want a car that will fight for the title," he said.

"The Mercedes cars will step it up another notch this weekend and will still be the benchmark to beat next year.

"We're on the same level as the big teams, McLaren and Ferrari. But we have to keep pushing. The goal is 2027 -- and we're accelerating toward it."

The Paris-born driver said he is "optimistic" and "can't wait" for the future.

"I want to finish the season telling myself that in 2027, we're going to crush them all! And 2028 will be even better," he said.

In the meantime, he is enjoying getting back to racing after his injury and is looking forward to taking on the Sepang circuit for the first time this weekend.

"I can't wait to get out there and explore the track. I've known it (from TV, video games, and the simulator) since I was a little kid, but I've never actually driven on it in real life," Hadjar said.

"As for the wrist pain, that's no longer an issue. In Baku, there were a lot of questions to consider, but I managed to get through it, and I have no doubts about this weekend."

A.P.Maia--PC