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Hadjar knows how to approach being Max Verstappen’s teammate

16:08, 04 Dec

byTim Kraaij

Isack Hadjar believes he has the right approach to be Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull Racing. He wants to avoid a pitfall that trapped his predecessors.

“The goal is to accept that I’ll be slower in the first month.”

- Isack Hadjar

On the Tuesday between the Qatar Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Red Bull family revealed its line-ups for next season. Hadjar was told during the Qatar weekend that he would be driving alongside Verstappen, while Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda were informed of their futures after the Qatar GP.

And that means that in 2026 Hadjar has a massive task at hand, stepping in alongside Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. A task that, since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure, has ultimately proven too much for every driver.

Hadjar has an advantage as Verstappen’s teammate

However, Hadjar has one big advantage over all his predecessors. With the completely new regulations in 2026, he won’t be stepping into a “Verstappen car”: “Yes, it's the best timing by far,” Hadjar said in a session with a selected group of media, including GPblog.

“It is. It's a new car. It's not like Max knows the car. We all start from scratch, so I feel very, very lucky in the way I'm coming to Red Bull. It's going to be very beneficial and if the car has to go in one direction, then I'll be here as well. And maybe it's from my input. So, yeah, I'm excited."

Isack Hadjar believes timing is an advantage in Red Bull move - Photo: Race Pictures

Still, it’s Max Verstappen. Hadjar will have to go head-to-head against the four-time world champion—who could turn out to be a five-time world champion once the chequered flag is waved in Abu Dhabi. Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez, and Yuki Tsunoda all had the best intentions beforehand, but all fell short.

Hadjar sees his predecessors as an important lesson for how he will approach the season: “If anything, the goal is to accept that I'm going to be slower the first month. And I think that if you go into that mindset, you accept already, it's going to be very tough. Looking at the data and seeing things you can't achieve yet, it's going to be very frustrating. But if you know, then you're more prepared.”

"It's Max Verstappen. He doesn't have a driving style. He adapts to what he's given and that's what is his strength."

- Isack Hadjar

That will take some getting used to, even for the Frenchman. “It never happened to me in my life,” he says with a laugh.

Asked by GPblog whether he has, somewhere in the back of his mind, the idea that he could beat the Dutchman, Hadjar explained: “Yeah, I mean, of course, it's like if I was to jump in, if there was another year of these regulations, no way. But you never know, maybe the way you have to drive this guy is suiting me perfectly. And at the same time, it's Max Verstappen."

“He doesn't have a driving style. He adapts to what he's given and that's what is his strength. So he's going to be as good in next year's cars as he's on this year's car and as he was the year before. He's constantly adapting to [it]."

Still, starting a season with the mindset “I’m going to lose anyway” can also feel wrong. Maybe Verstappen’s previous teammates thought that too, which broke them. Hadjar thinks otherwise. He says his predecessors secretly believed they would be faster than Verstappen.

Hadjar and Verstappen on the podium together in Zandvoort - Photo: Race Pictures

What Verstappen’s teammates did wrong

“I think they thought the opposite. Everyone thinks they're special. And you come in, you're like, ‘he's a human, I'm going to beat him.’ And then you get stomped over. And then the snowball effect starts.”

“Whereas if you come in, you're like, ‘anyway, I'm not [going to be it him],’ And we're talking about the best driver on the grid, so the chance that I'm slower at the start of the year is very high. So might as well accept it now and just walk towards getting there. Of course, I'm hoping to be as fast as him. I'm hoping, but realistically, there's very few chances."

Asked whether this approach is driven by Red Bull management or comes from himself, Hadjar was clear: “Myself.”

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