Hadjar's key strength to take on the Max Verstappen test at Red Bull

Since Daniel Ricciardo's departure, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda were all let go by Red Bull Racing after they were outperformed by the four-time world champion.

Hadjar also has an enormous task ahead of him to compete against the Dutchman.

Talking to a selected group of media, including GPblog, the young talent already addressed the challenge of going up against one of the best to ever do it in Formula 1.

The Frenchman remained grounded, explaining that it is only natural to be slower than Verstappen in the beginning.

Throughout the season as well, when addressing a potential promotion, he stayed level-headed. Unlike Tsunoda at the beginning of the year, he was not eager to vouch for a promotion. As he explained, with a regulation change ahead, he can have a clean slate, unlike Verstappen's previous teammates with the exception of Perez entering 2022.

Hadjar's drive to perform also comes across in his interviews after the sessions. The youngster was clear on the goals he wanted to achieve, and was sometimes even too harsh on himself after certain results.

For example, after scoring points at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Hadjar was disappointed about not achieving a better finish in the constructors' standings for Racing Bulls.

Hadjar has the hunger to always do better, and is not satisfied by half-results, which will be key to improving, and constantly try to get closer to his teammate.

Taking on Verstappen will certainly not be easy, and it's hard to expect the youngster to defeat him. This opportunity may have come a bit too soon for the French driver, but he enters it with the necessary mindset to remain composed.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.

Don't forget to follow us on Spotify as well!