Isack Hadjar, after just one season in Formula 1, has been promoted to Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen. The rookie has revealed how he intends to approach the 2026 season and the mentality he believes is required to take on one of the toughest challenges in the sport.
Isack Hadjar has just completed his first Formula 1 campaign with VCARB. Following the Qatar Grand Prix, the young driver was announced as Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull team-mate, replacing Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver, who began the season with Visa Cash App RB, had been promoted to Red Bull during the year, but the results achieved were not sufficient to secure a long-term seat. In 2026, Yuki Tsunoda will instead take on the role of third driver for the Milton Keynes-based squad.
After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar spoke about his expectations for the 2026 season and explained the mindset he feels is necessary to compete alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
The challenge of Verstappen
Over the past year, Red Bull has undergone numerous changes. These shifts have affected not only the management structure but also the driver line-up, with one constant remaining throughout: Max Verstappen.
The 2026 season, shaped by an all-new technical regulation cycle, will see every driver start from scratch. New cars and new power units are expected to reset the competitive order. Speaking to the media after Abu Dhabi, Hadjar explained how he wants to approach this period of change: “It’s definitely the best moment. I feel really, really lucky with the way I’m arriving at Red Bull, so it will be very beneficial. If the car takes a certain direction, then I will be there as well.”
Isack Hadjar then expanded on the mental approach he believes is essential: “If there is one thing, the goal is to accept that in the first month I will be slower. I think that if you adopt this mindset, you already accept that it will be very difficult… looking at the data and seeing things that you still can’t achieve. It will be very frustrating. But if you know it, then you are more prepared.”
The 2026 season represents a fresh start for the entire grid, from the most experienced drivers to the youngest newcomers. This reset could potentially reshuffle the competitive order. Hadjar acknowledged this uncertainty while also underlining Verstappen’s strengths: “You never know, maybe the way you need to drive this [next] car suits me perfectly, but at the same time, it’s Max Verstappen. He doesn’t have one driving style. He adapts to whatever he is given, and that is what makes him strong. So he will be good in next year’s cars just as much as he is in this year’s and as he was the year before. He is constantly adapting as well.”
For every Formula 1 driver, the first benchmark is always their team-mate, and that will also be the case for Hadjar, who will be measuring himself against a four-time Formula 1 world champion. Aware of the scale of the task, he concluded: “We’re talking about the best driver on the grid. So the probability that I will be slow at the beginning of the season is very high. So I might as well accept it straight away and work towards it. Of course, I hope to be as fast as him. I hope so, but realistically the chances are very small.”
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