Hadjar sets the bar very high for his first benchmark against Verstappen

19:00, 05 Jan

Updated: 19:17, 05 Jan

byTim Kraaij

Isack Hadjar does not consider it an achievement in itself that he has a seat alongside Max Verstappen. The Frenchman wants to be the first man to perform brilliantly next to the Dutchman.

“To be the first driver in a long time to do great alongside Max.”

- Isack Hadjar

Between the Grands Prix of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Hadjar finally got the news he was after: he will get the seat at Red Bull Racing in 2026. After a strong debut season with Racing Bulls, the reward soon followed with a step up to a top team.

It has all happened quickly for Hadjar, because at the end of 2024 the young Frenchman did not even seem certain of a place in Formula 1. He was only announced late as the new driver for Racing Bulls, when the decision was made to part ways with Sergio Perez.

Hadjar seized that opportunity with both hands. After a blunder on the formation lap in Australia, Hadjar put together an excellent season, even taking a first podium at Zandvoort.

isack-hadjar-knows-approach-against-verstappen

Isack Hadjar is aiming for nothing less than victories at Red Bull - Photo: RacePictures

“It wasn’t just last year; this whole journey has been very long and difficult,” Hadjar told GPblog in Abu Dhabi. “The goal I always had in mind was to drive for the main team and be the teammate of the best driver in the world.”

“Sometimes it feels surreal; at other times it feels normal because this is the one thing I do right. I know how to drive. But of course, it’s a awesome moment. Not just for me, but also for my parents it's great.”

Asked by GPblog whether he sees this contract as an important achievement, Hadjar said: “Unfortunately I don’t see signing a contract as a achievement. A achievement would be meeting expectations at Red Bull. That I would consider an accomplishment.”

So what would be a achievement for the Frenchman? “Fighting for victories. Being there every weekend. Being the first driver in a long time to do a really great job alongside Max.”

Hadjar knows a daunting task awaits him, but he told GPblog that he knows where he can make the difference.

Hadjar wants to make the difference

“To get to Red Bull, I had to do my best here (at Racing Bulls). So I wasn’t paying attention on what the big boys were doing. Now my focus will change, though.”

“I can’t wait to go to MK (Milton Keynes, where the Red Bull factory is) and work with the guys there in January and February. It won’t be fun, but I do believe that’s where I can make the difference.”

“The car hasn’t been built yet and there’s only one tool available: the sim. So there’s a lot to do. I could allow myself more holidays, but what’s the point?”

Isack Hadjar knows how to approach it alongside Max Verstappen - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Hadjar also surprised in the interview by saying that he needs to accept beforehand that he will lose the duel with Max Verstappen. According to the Frenchman, Verstappen’s predecessors at Red Bull always went wrong there. They thought they could beat Verstappen; he believes that won’t just happen.

“If anything, the goal is to accept that I'm going to be slower the first month. And I think that if you go into that mindset, you accept already, it's going to be very tough. Looking at the data and seeing things you can't achieve yet, it's going to be very frustrating. But if you know, then you're more prepared.”

That will take some getting used to, even for the Frenchman. “It never happened to me in my life,” he says with a laugh.

Asked by GPblog whether he has, somewhere in the back of his mind, the idea that he could beat the Dutchman, Hadjar explained: “Yeah, I mean, of course, it's like if I was to jump in, if there was another year of these regulations, no way. But you never know, maybe the way you have to drive this guy is suiting me perfectly. And at the same time, it's Max Verstappen."

“He doesn't have a driving style. He adapts to what he's given and that's what is his strength. So he's going to be as good in next year's cars as he's on this year's car and as he was the year before. He's constantly adapting to [it]."

Still, starting a season with the mindset “I’m going to lose anyway” can also feel wrong. Maybe Verstappen’s previous teammates thought that too, which broke them. Hadjar thinks otherwise. He says his predecessors secretly believed they would be faster than Verstappen.

What Verstappen’s teammates did wrong

“I think they thought the opposite. Everyone thinks they're special. And you come in, you're like, ‘he's a human, I'm going to beat him.’ And then you get stomped over. And then the snowball effect starts.”

“Whereas if you come in, you're like, ‘anyway, I'm not [going to be it him],’ And we're talking about the best driver on the grid, so the chance that I'm slower at the start of the year is very high. So might as well accept it now and just walk towards getting there. Of course, I'm hoping to be as fast as him. I'm hoping, but realistically, there's very few chances."

Asked whether this approach is driven by Red Bull management or comes from himself, Hadjar was clear: “Myself.”