Isack Hadjar begins the next phase of his journey in the Red Bull empire on Tuesday when his first official involvement as a newly promoted Red Bull Racing driver will be to test Pirelli’s final 2026 tires for the first time.
As Max Verstappen’s team-mate, Hajar will occupy one of the most pressured positions in Formula 1 – and not just because Verstappen has set the bar high in terms of sheer speed and ravenous 24/7 competitiveness. Red Bull driver advisor Helmut Marko has long run Red Bull’s driver development program along a ruthless “up in, down out” route, with each new level bringing greater scrutiny from a man not known for keeping his emotions in check.
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Marko already knows exactly how Hadjar needs to improve in 2026.
“From his point of view, the only thing we have to blame is that he had to control his emotions,” Mako said in Abu Dhabi.
Then, he added with a smile: “I would say there is nothing wrong with the steering wheel.”
Hajjar vented his frustration on the unforgiving and expensive carbon fiber surface of one of his car’s primary control surfaces in what has become a predictable coda to any on-track incident of which he is the unfortunate victim, most recently when he ran off and hit the wall in qualifying in Qatar. It’s hard to whip yourself when a driver is still strapped into the cockpit of an F1 car, so the steering wheel has to do the trick.
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Isaac Hajjar, Bulls
Isaac Hajjar, Bulls
Hajar sets very high standards for himself, which might explain moments like this. When he was promoted from Formula 2 to Formula 1 with the Bulls and finished second behind Gabriel Bortoleto in the 2024 championship, it is understood there were doubts within Red Bull leadership whether the Frenchman had what it took to succeed at the top level.
At the time, the decision as to whether Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda would fill the void left by Sergio Perez’s sacking was made late and seemed to take up much of the front office’s bandwidth. Hajar’s promotion was almost an afterthought, as if he was just the next taxi to be demoted.
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But apart from running into the barriers on the warm-up lap at the Australian Grand Prix, Hajjar has exceeded the expectations of experts and Red Bull management. It is understood that after he confidently finished on the podium at Zandvoort, the decision was made to promote him again, replacing Tsunoda as Verstappen’s team-mate – even though his ability had been evident before then.
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team crash
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team crash
After the mistake in Australia, he had the pace to score points in China, it’s just that the Bulls didn’t realize it would be a one-stop contest rather than a two-stop contest. Several other potential points have been begged due to engine issues or, in Qatar, the front wing experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and resulted in a puncture.
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Hajjar’s disappointment after the game was eased when he learned of his promotion.
He also needs to adjust to the tough love of horse school. The fact that Marco spoke to the media about Hajjar’s talents, particularly his ability to attack on tracks he didn’t know and immediately set up lap times, rather than pat Hajjar himself on the back, was a matter of open humor in the paddock.
“He didn’t emphasize my qualities in front of me, that’s for sure,” Hajjar said when asked about it before the Qatar Grand Prix.
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“That’s not what he did, but the fact that he said it is significant and I agree with him.”
Isaac Hajjar, Bulls
Isaac Hajjar, Bulls
In addition to controlling his emotions, Hajjar also has to rein in his unfiltered tendency to combine self-criticism with assessments of team mistakes or equipment shortcomings, as he was quoted in the media after Qatar as saying, “I’m still angry. I’ll look at what I should have done better in the first place and see why our car broke down on itself.”
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When drivers hit the track, they can take on powerful responsibilities. But even in the most frustrating moments of the season, Verstappen reserved general comments about the car’s performance and consciously avoided mentioning any team errors.
As Tsunoda has proven this season, the transition from the relatively tame Bulls racing to the less public scrutiny the team faces can be difficult. Especially when the expectation for the No. 2 driver is to get close enough to Verstappen to support him in his bid for the Drivers’ Championship, while also accumulating points so that Red Bull can challenge for the Constructors’ Championship. In 2025, it just overtook Ferrari for third place, thanks in large part to Verstappen’s resurgence.
“I think he expected [the promotion]”, Marco said. “Of course, he was very happy.
“Now, he has to deliver.”
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