Hadjar on joining Verstappen at Red Bull in 2026: “We’re both starting from zero”
Isack Hadjar knows exactly what he’s walking into at Red Bull – the fastest yardstick in the sport and a garage that expects titles. He also thinks he’s arriving at precisely the right time.
With Red Bull confirming Max Verstappen and Hadjar as its 2026 pairing, the Frenchman is leaning hard into Formula 1’s rules reset. New, smaller and lighter cars, and power units split 50/50 between electric and sustainable fuel combustion, mean day one in Milton Keynes will feel closer to a clean slate than the usual “fit in and hang on” for Verstappen’s team-mates.
“It’s not the same car at all next year,” Hadjar said. “We’re going to get the car we have. The team is going to build this car. I have to adapt to that car, and Max will have to do the same job. And if the car goes into one direction, at least I’ll be there to feel the change. Ideally, I contribute to that change.”
If that sounds like a rookie asking for more than a foot in the door, it’s intentional. Hadjar sees the development trench as where he can immediately matter. He’s moved through different machinery virtually every season, and he’s betting that habit pays off now. “I’ve always competed in different cars,” he added. “I think I’m pretty decent at adapting, so I’m actually confident.”
That confidence will face F1’s most unforgiving test. Verstappen is still Verstappen: four world titles on the shelf and an edge that refused to dull in 2025, when he fell just two points short of Lando Norris after hacking down a 104-point deficit in the final stretch. Across the ground-effect era he turned the previous regulations into a personal playground, and whatever flashes up on the 2026 timing screens, he’ll expect to be at the top of it.
“What I find very impressive with Max is that after four world championships, he’s still very, very hungry and very mad when it doesn’t go his way, because he always wants to win,” Hadjar said. “I don’t think every champion can do that. Once you pass a certain level, you can maybe slow down a bit in your approach, but he seems to be starving, just like I am. It’s very impressive.”
Red Bull’s 2026 bet is straightforward: keep the sure thing, add fresh energy, and design a car that tames a radically different formula faster than anyone else. It has worked through a changing cast around Verstappen before, but 2026 is a different problem – less about plugging someone into Max’s orbit, more about building a package both drivers can stretch.
That last part matters. In recent years Red Bull could afford to bias a car toward Verstappen’s preferences and let the rest catch up. With an all-new aero and power unit platform arriving at once, there’s genuine value in having two sets of hands shaping the baseline. Hadjar’s pitch is that he’ll feel where the car’s heading and help steer it, not just ride shotgun.
And there’s the boyhood dream element he doesn’t bother hiding. “Honestly, there’s two things – being in a world champion team. When I grew up watching Formula 1, I saw Vettel winning all these races as a kid with Red Bull. And being team-mates with Max, to see what it’s like – what facing the best level in the world feels like. It’s definitely super-exciting.”
Excitement is one thing; execution is another. Verstappen’s authority inside Red Bull is absolute for good reason, and the team’s culture is built around converting that into championships. Hadjar will have to be quick from day one, faultless in the feedback loop and realistic about where early wins can be made. If the 2026 car emerges with quirks – and every newborn ruleset produces some – the driver who adapts faster will dictate the development path.
Hadjar’s view is that both drivers are taking the same test. He’s not wrong. The syllabus, however, is written in Verstappen’s handwriting until someone proves otherwise.
