Isack Hadjar produced an extraordinary result for Red Bull at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, recovering from 21st on the grid to finish sixth at Spa-Francorchamps. The French driver made his way through the field throughout the race, completing more overtakes than anyone else and delivering another performance that supports an increasingly convincing theory: Isack Hadjar could become Red Bull’s next major Formula 1 star.
The drive attracted less attention than it deserved, partly because the focus at Spa was directed towards the battle at the front. However, the scale of Isack Hadjar’s comeback, combined with his performances throughout the opening part of the season, has strengthened the argument that Red Bull may already possess a potential future team leader.
Isack Hadjar continues to impress alongside Max Verstappen
The difference between Isack Hadjar’s performances and those previously produced alongside Max Verstappen by Liam Lawson and Sergio Pérez has been apparent since the beginning of the season. Completely new Formula 1 cars may have helped Isack Hadjar’s development, but the results and performances remain difficult to ignore.
In qualifying, Isack Hadjar has regularly remained close to Max Verstappen and has even finished ahead of the Dutch driver on certain occasions. During races, the Frenchman has generally appeared composed, quick and capable of making clear decisions under pressure.
His only major error arrived during a Miami weekend that he will want to forget. Apart from that difficult event, Isack Hadjar’s season through to Spa-Francorchamps has been excellent.
The Belgian Grand Prix provided the clearest demonstration yet. Isack Hadjar started 21st after receiving substantial grid penalties for changes to components on his car, but he steadily moved through the field and eventually secured sixth place. His 15-position recovery at Spa-Francorchamps was one of the most impressive drives of the weekend.
Belgian GP confirms Red Bull’s second-driver curse may be over
From the opening races of the season, there were already signs that Isack Hadjar could become the first Red Bull driver since Daniel Ricciardo to offer genuine competition to Max Verstappen. The races that followed have continued to support that assessment.
Isack Hadjar has not collected as many championship points as his performances might suggest, although Red Bull Powertrains has encountered several reliability problems. Those technical setbacks have prevented the Frenchman from converting all of his competitive weekends into strong results.
The difficult final years of Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull spell and Liam Lawson’s opening races with the team now feel increasingly distant. Isack Hadjar is still young, so difficult weekends and mistakes are inevitable between now and the end of the season. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to consider whether he could eventually become the team’s next leader, particularly if Max Verstappen were to continue his career elsewhere.
Red Bull has traditionally built its Formula 1 structure around one principal driver. Sebastian Vettel once occupied that position before Max Verstappen became the central figure in the team’s sporting project. Most of the team’s attention, development work and competitive ambitions have generally been directed towards the driver considered most capable of delivering the World Championship.
Should Max Verstappen decide to leave Red Bull ahead of the 2027 season, Isack Hadjar could become a credible replacement as the team’s focal point, provided that his development continues without a significant interruption.
Isack Hadjar’s Spa performance deserves greater recognition
Isack Hadjar’s Belgian Grand Prix was perhaps overlooked too easily. The French driver made more pit stops than anyone else but still managed to finish ahead of Lando Norris, despite the McLaren driver starting considerably further forward and appearing faster throughout much of the weekend.
Lando Norris eventually finished seventh after his own recovery was affected by the timing of the Virtual Safety Car and a delay during his pit stop. Even so, Isack Hadjar resisted the McLaren driver’s late pressure and protected sixth place until the chequered flag. The contrasting strategies and circumstances made the closing stages particularly demanding for the Red Bull driver, while Lando Norris was left frustrated by McLaren’s missed opportunity.
Red Bull has improved its car, but its current package is not considered as competitive as those produced by Mercedes or Ferrari. That context gives Isack Hadjar’s recovery even greater value. He did not simply move forward in one of the fastest cars on the grid; he extracted a result that appeared to exceed the expected potential of the machinery available to him.
His performance also showed maturity in race management. Recovering from the back of the field requires more than outright speed. A driver must judge overtaking opportunities, manage the tyres, respond to strategic changes and avoid incidents while progressing through traffic. Isack Hadjar handled those demands well and was rewarded with an important points finish.
Red Bull’s future features several young prospects
Isack Hadjar’s performance connects naturally with the encouraging results achieved this season by the Racing Bulls pairing, particularly Arvid Lindblad. The extremely young Red Bull academy driver has emerged as another significant prospect within the organisation’s development programme.
Nikola Tsolov is even younger and currently leads the Formula 2 championship, adding another name to Red Bull’s growing collection of potential future Formula 1 drivers. The team therefore appears to have rebuilt a development pathway capable of producing several credible candidates for its senior line-ups.
That depth is especially important after the instability that has affected Red Bull’s driver structure in recent years. The team has repeatedly struggled to find a driver capable of performing consistently alongside Max Verstappen, while several promotions and replacements failed to create a lasting solution.
Isack Hadjar appears capable of changing that picture. His speed, confidence and resilience have allowed him to establish himself as more than a supporting driver. Rather than merely surviving alongside Max Verstappen, the Frenchman has shown signs that he can challenge the established hierarchy and play a central role in Red Bull’s future.
The team now finds itself in a promising position from which to build. Isack Hadjar is already delivering at senior level, while Arvid Lindblad and Nikola Tsolov provide further evidence of the talent progressing through the Red Bull system.
After several seasons of uncertainty, Red Bull can begin planning its next era with greater confidence. The face of the project may eventually change, particularly if Max Verstappen chooses another destination, but the ultimate objective will remain exactly the same: winning Formula 1 World Championships.
Isack Hadjar’s path is not yet complete, and one exceptional Belgian Grand Prix cannot guarantee that he will become Red Bull’s next team leader. However, his comeback from 21st to sixth at Spa-Francorchamps was another important piece of evidence. If his development continues at the same rate, Red Bull’s future may already be in his hands.
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