Jolyon Palmer wasn't holding back during Red Bull's intriguing battle at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, laying into Isack Hadjar for being way too polite with his teammate Max Verstappen. The two Red Bull drivers clashed for the first time this season at the Baku City Circuit, both securing podium finishes for the team. But Palmer reckoned Hadjar's approach to team orders showed a complete lack of fight, and he made sure to let everyone know about it on commentary.

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Starting fourth on the grid, Hadjar found himself in third behind George Russell and Oscar Piastri before Verstappen charged through from eighth. The Dutchman swept past his teammate into Turn 1 without any resistance, but when Verstappen's tyres began struggling midway through the stint, Hadjar sensed an opportunity. Instead of pushing the issue, though, Hadjar seemed content to play the team game. Palmer was genuinely baffled by what he was watching, saying, 'For Hadjar to let Verstappen by without a fight, and now Verstappen puts up a fight to stop Hadjar from coming back by. You're either working as a team, or you're not.'

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Things got properly comedic when Hadjar eased off the pressure entirely. Palmer couldn't resist the sarcasm, mocking, 'Hadjar doesn't want the place! He's saying, just stop defending, I'm not going to pass you. I want a teammate like Isack Hadjar, he's the best guy in the world.' Co-commentator Alex Jacques chimed in that Hadjar had 'turned into a driver again' after being 'far too reasonable and compliant for a couple of laps.' Palmer, though, reckoned even then Hadjar was still being too soft about the whole thing, refusing to really put the pressure on.

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Palmer also pondered whether Red Bull's pit wall were hesitant to ask Verstappen to move over, questioning if team order instructions were even in the handbook anymore for a team that hasn't faced this situation in ages. 'Do we tell Max to get out of the way?' Palmer wondered aloud. 'What are the odds going to be if they do try?' In the end, both drivers grabbed podium spots anyway, with Verstappen coming within a tenth of a second of his first win of the season, but Palmer's assessment of Hadjar's approach to the situation clearly left an impression.

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