Isack Hadjar’s foray into Red Bull’s top F1 team will be a storyline to watch next season, as he’s set to become Max Verstappen’s next teammate. The team announced on Tuesday that Hadjar will replace Yuki Tsunoda in Red Bull’s No. 2 car, piling a lot of pressure on the French youngster.
While there are a lot of expectations on him to keep up with the defending World Champion, he’s well aware of the reality that he steps into.
Isack Hadjar Has a Mountain To Climb at Red Bull, Keeps Level-Headed Approach
Hadjar will be stepping into a car that is generally quicker than his 2025 Racing Bull. The promotion should see him often finishing in the top 10, perhaps even on the podium. However, getting used to Red Bull’s No. 2 car still presents a challenge, and the Frenchman isn’t expecting much of himself to start.
Verstappen News on X posted the new Red Bull driver’s comments about his outlook at the team.
“My first goal is to accept that I’m going to be slower than Max in the first few months,” he said. “I think it’s really good to have that mindset already. Otherwise, it could be very frustrating.”
He also spoke about the psychological aspect of entering a team like the Austrian outfit, cautioning against the vicious cycles that drivers often fall into as a result of struggling performances.
“Every driver thinks they’re special,” he said. “And then you can join a team and think, ‘He’s only human, I’m going to beat him.’ But if he then overruns you, the snowball effect starts and it all goes downhill. We’re talking about the best driver on the grid here, after all.”
His humble, level-headed approach to his new chapter at Red Bull should go a long way in supporting his run with the team. He steps into a car that has gained notoriety for being a turnstile, given the number of drivers who have passed through it since Verstappen became Red Bull’s main man.
Hadjar will aim to outlast all of Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson at Red Bull.
He certainly has the talent, as evidenced by his performance this year. With one race to go, the rookie has scored 51 points and sits 10th in the standings. His run with the Racing Bulls this campaign has seen him in the running for the Rookie of the Year award, as he only trails Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli in the standings.
