Halfway through the 2026 Formula 1 season, there is still talk about a Red Bull seat, but not the position that has come under the most pressure in recent years. And that is perhaps the biggest compliment Isack Hadjar could receive following his promotion to Red Bull.
Since Daniel Ricciardo‘s departure for Renault, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have all struggled in the second Red Bull seat at one point or another. There has been no sign of that with Hadjar so far, and the 21-year-old Frenchman can look back on a successful start.
Nevertheless, Hadjar reveals he has not surprised himself. He already said last year that the complete overhaul of the technical regulations would present the best opportunity to make the step up to Red Bull, and he now feels that has been confirmed.
“I actually haven’t surprised myself this year, to be honest. I’ve just been driving at a high level, definitely better than last year,” Hadjar said when asked by Motorsport.com.
“That’s normal because it’s my second season. I’m still not very experienced, but I’m improving a bit.”
That is also reflected in the data. Figures from data partner Paceteq show that Hadjar has so far trailed Verstappen by an average of 0.237 seconds in qualifying, a smaller margin than his predecessors in Red Bull’s second seat.
Isack Hadjar lacks pace on Sunday
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
It should be noted that Verstappen believes drivers like him are less able to make a difference under the current regulations, but the fact remains that Hadjar has performed very strongly on Saturdays so far.
Nevertheless, Hadjar sees one clear area in which he still needs to improve compared with Verstappen in the second half of the season: race pace.
“I would say Max that has been very impressive on Sundays, all around,” the Frenchman explained.
“I think my one-lap pace has been pretty good, but how well he is managing the races is on a different level. That’s what I’m focusing on and working on.”
That, too, is reflected in the data. While Hadjar’s qualifying deficit is just over two tenths, the gap in terms of race pace has been larger. On average, Hadjar has lost 0.490 seconds per lap to Verstappen on Sundays, underlining that this is indeed where there is still the most room for improvement.
One positive is that Isack Hadjar’s feedback matches Max Verstappen’s
Photo by: Liam Fabre
Apart from his own learning curve, Hadjar believes Red Bull as a team still has plenty of work to do as well.
That was evident once more at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the young Red Bull driver never truly felt comfortable in the RB22.
“We didn’t succeed in finding the sweet spot and in having something driveable for me. It was not possible the whole weekend.
“On paper, Hungary looked like it was a track that was going to suit us, and I was confident, but the car just didn’t really come alive.”
One positive, however, is that Hadjar’s feedback matches Verstappen’s. That is not only beneficial for the technical department led by Pierre Wache, but also good for Hadjar himself.
“Yes, it is reassuring, let’s say. Otherwise, I would really be asking myself questions. So yes, that’s good news,” Hadjar said.
“I think it also shows why the gap in qualifying is always that close.”
