Former FIA steward Johnny Herbert has shared his thoughts on the possibility that Isack Hadjar could break the long-standing “second driver curse” at Red Bull. The French driver enjoyed an impressive rookie season in 2025, finishing the championship ahead of the more experienced Liam Lawson and even securing a surprising podium at Zandvoort — performances that earned him a promotion to partner Max Verstappen for the end of the year.
Hadjar’s consistency stands out
Speaking on the Stay On Track podcast alongside Damon Hill, Herbert analyzed Isack Hadjar’s 2025 season, highlighting one of the young driver’s greatest strengths: consistency. Herbert said, “If you look at what he achieved last year, he probably showed one of his best qualities: consistency. He was steady in qualifying, usually sixth, seventh, or eighth for most of the season, but he also regularly scored points. He was consistently ahead of Lawson, who had a bit more experience. Strangely, during his time in F2 he wasn’t one of the most talked-about names. He had a good career in F2, but he never won the championship. I think he surprised a lot of people — probably even me — because I really liked his work ethic within the team, which was just about continuing to push. It’s a bit like we mentioned earlier.”
When asked whether Hadjar could transfer the same qualities to Racing Bulls while partnering with someone like Verstappen, Herbert believes the Frenchman can still bring valuable contributions to Red Bull — even though Verstappen operates in a similar way but on a much higher level. Herbert added, “It seemed he was the one capable of giving the team the information they needed to get on track what he was producing. That’s a strength he can definitely carry with him into Red Bull. But that’s exactly how Max thinks — just on a much larger scale.”
Hadjar impresses in a desert challenge with a Dakar veteran
Recently, the French driver was tested behind the wheel of the Ford Raptor T1+, going head-to-head with Dakar specialist Mitchell Guthrie. As shown in a Red Bull Motorsport video, Hadjar’s goal was to get within 15 seconds of Guthrie’s reference time over five laps. On his first attempt, he clocked a 4’18”, still far from Guthrie’s 3’16”. Undeterred, Isack Hadjar reduced the gap with every lap, eventually closing to just two seconds from the target time on his final two attempts.
The promotion of Isack Hadjar marks a bold new chapter for Red Bull as they look to shore up their 2026 campaign. While many talented drivers have withered under the intense spotlight of the garage next to Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar’s “workhorse” mentality and his ability to adapt quickly—as seen in his desert crossover—suggest he may have the mental resilience required. If he can maintain the consistency Johnny Herbert praised while providing the technical feedback the team needs, he might just be the one to finally stabilize the most scrutinized seat in Formula 1.
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