Isack Hadjar has had his first run in the Red Bull 2026 car, stepping into the role of Verstappen’s teammate. Hadjar got the call-up after just one year with Racing Bulls, where he finished 12th in the standings.
Isack Hadjar has had his first run in the Red Bull 2026 car, stepping into the role of Verstappen’s teammate.
Hadjar got the call-up after just one year with Racing Bulls, where he finished 12th in the standings. It’s a big step up, but Red Bull clearly sees something in him.
Taking on that job means he’s now side-by-side with Verstappen, a role few envy given the Dutchman’s dominance.
Red Bull’s faith in Hadjar isn’t misplaced. He’s quick and consistent, and what he needs now is just time to grow into this new role.
Mekies has worked with him before and knows what he brings to the table. It helps that they have history together; there shouldn’t be any surprises about how to get the best out of him.
Isack Hadjar set for Red Bull title push
At just 21 years old, Isack Hadjar is making quite an impression early on. In fact, it was only six months ago that Pierre Gasly talked up his quality before Red Bull made their move for him.
Now getting ready for his second full season in Formula 1, having spent one campaign at Racing Bulls and before stepping up into Red Bull Racing, expectations are high for him in their new car.
It might seem early to be talking title shots given it will only be his second full season but considering how strong Red Bull have been over recent years it’s not out of reach if they hit the ground running again under these new regulations.
Regardless though there’ll be plenty watching closely because backing yourself as a contender even when you’re right next door to Verstappen isn’t something you hear every day from someone still so young.
Isack Hadjar already showing signs of being an ideal Verstappen partner
Red Bull are heading into testing with some concerns over reliability, running their own power unit for the first time.
The last time they faced similar questions was back in 2019, during their first season with Honda power. That move turned out well, and early signs suggest the new partnership with Ford is off to a good start too.
On the opening morning of pre-season testing in Barcelona—a private session involving all 11 teams—Hadjar topped the timesheets by a significant margin.
He posted a time of 1:18.835, finishing 1.865 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in second place. Hadjar also completed 41 laps, which was the third highest total among the seven teams participating.
It’s early days, but Hadjar seems to be handling both speed and reliability well so far. There’s added scrutiny this year as Verstappen’s teammate, but he looks up for it.
He appears to be settling in quickly at Red Bull and making a positive impression right from the outset.
How did Red Bull’s main rivals perform in the opening session of 2026?
Audi and Cadillac were the two slowest teams during Monday morning’s session, but they deserve some credit for getting their cars out early and putting in more than 25 laps each.
Both were over five seconds off Hadjar’s leading time, with Haas, driven by Esteban Ocon, also falling into that same range.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto finished third despite completing fewer laps than anyone else. He was also responsible for causing the first red flag a few hours into the session.
Soon after, Gabriel Bortoleto had to stop on track, leading to another delay. Then Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car came to a halt right as the session wrapped up at 1pm in Barcelona.
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Category: General Sports
