Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar share a dream beyond F1: building a team for endurance racing. F1 off-track: Hadjar wants his own team and a fun approach to 24-hour races.

Verstappen-Hadjar, rivalry beyond F1: the Frenchman wants his own “team,” but winning isn’t the goal

The new Red Bull pairing shares a dream that goes beyond Formula 1: just like Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar hopes to one day have a “team” of his own. While the Dutch driver has increasingly been in the spotlight for GT and endurance racing, with the possibility of participating in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring as early as 2026, his new teammate has similar ambitions—but with a very different purpose in mind.

Max Verstappen sets his sights on the Nürburgring

After a victorious debut in the previous season, Max Verstappen is ready to raise the bar at the Nürburgring. Following testing with Mercedes, the four-time World Champion’s team plans to compete with a GT3 car from Stuttgart in the legendary “Green Hell.” The goal is to take part in the 24 Hours race on May 16 and 17, a weekend free from Formula 1 obligations. However, the Dutch driver’s direct participation is still uncertain.

Max Verstappen has made it clear that he will only take part if he can first compete in at least one prior Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) weekend. The challenge, however, is that the NLS calendar largely overlaps with Formula 1 Grands Prix. Reports suggest that even Toto Wolff has intervened, requesting that one of the NLS events be postponed to accommodate Verstappen.

Hadjar: “Me in the 24 Hours? Of course, but with my own team”

Endurance racing is a passion widely shared in the Formula 1 paddock. In addition to Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg, both winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the aforementioned Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc has also expressed interest in endurance racing, possibly behind the wheel of a Ferrari 499P.

Joining this group is now Isack Hadjar, who spoke to GPBlog.com about his motivations: “I would love to race there, of course, but without pressure. I’d like to bring my friends along, in my own team—it would be amazing. It would be really fun. And when I say ‘friends,’ I also mean people who don’t really know how to drive. I wouldn’t aim to win; I would just want to have fun.”

Isack Hadjar’s desire to form a “fun” endurance team alongside his high-pressure role as Max Verstappen’s teammate illustrates the lighthearted side of the newest member of the Red Bull family. While Max Verstappen pushes for historical glory at the Nürburgring with factory-backed Mercedes support, Isack Hadjar’s vision of racing at Le Mans with friends who “don’t know how to drive” provides a refreshing contrast to the intensity of the F1 paddock. Whether Isack Hadjar ever makes it to the Mulsanne Straight or not, his focus on the joy of racing ensures that the 2026 Red Bull garage will be as much about personality as it is about performance.