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Hadjar on Red Bull's shortlist: Would the rising star be truly ready to join Verstappen?

17:22, 19 Jul

Updated: 18:10, 19 Jul

byMarnik Kok

Isack Hadjar could well secure a Red Bull seat if he maintains his current form with Racing Bulls. According to GPBlog, he’s firmly on the shortlist should Yuki Tsunoda depart. But how does Hadjar feel about that possibility? And what’s his perspective on sharing a garage with someone like Max Verstappen?

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who heads the team’s young driver program, has been speaking highly of Isack Hadjar for years. Touted as one of the next big talents, Hadjar is reportedly on the shortlist to step up to the senior Red Bull Racing team. But is the rookie ready for such a leap?

"Mentally, yes. There's one thing I'm good at, and it's this," Hadjar said to GPblog and others. "Do I have the stupid skills? I don't know. I don't know yet. That's the thing."

Hadjar closely follows Verstappen

The Racing Bulls driver is amazed when he sees Max Verstappen in action. When asked why he looks up to the Dutchman, he responded briefly, highlighting the Dutchman's qualifying prowess.

"He doesn't like mistakes, puts it together all the time in Q3. No mistakes really."

Isack Hadjar currently holds a respectable eleventh place in the championship standings for Red Bull's 'B-team', having scored 21 points.

His performance stands out even more when compared to his teammate Liam Lawson, who previously had a chance at Red Bull, as Lawson is down in sixteenth with just 12 points.

Perhaps most striking: Yuki Tsunoda, now driving alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, sits even lower in the standings.