Christian Horner realised he was wrong about Isack Hadjar just before he left Red Bull

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Isack Hadjar will replace Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate in 2026, it was confirmed on Tuesday. Hadjar gets the call-up after an outstanding rookie season at Racing Bulls.

Hadjar was initially resistant to joining Red Bull so early in his career. But in recent months, he has become increasingly confident that he’s ready for the opportunity.

The Frenchman became the first driver to score a podium in their first season for the Faenza-based team since Sebastian Vettel in 2008. He finished third at the Dutch GP at the end of August, a result he achieved almost purely on pace.

Heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Hadjar remains in the top 10 in the championship with 51 points. He has consistently outperformed more experienced teammate Liam Lawson and has reached Q3 more than any driver outside the top four teams (15 times).

Christian Horner wasn’t planning to give Isack Hadjar an F1 seat in 2025

Given how well Hadjar has performed this year, it’s a surprise that there was initially a reluctance to promote him.

Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner wasn’t planning to give Hadjar a Racing Bulls seat for 2025 at first. The driver line-ups are decided collectively, but clearly Horner wasn’t totally convinced that the Parisian was ready.

His stance only changed when Sergio Perez’s position became untenable and his contract was terminated. In the ensuing reshuffle, Liam Lawson joined Red Bull and Hadjar filled what was the final vacancy on the grid.

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Clearly, Horner realised that he had underestimated Hadjar’s potential. Had last year’s F2 runner-up remained in the series for another year, Red Bull might have found themselves without a compelling candidate to partner Verstappen.

Before he left Red Bull in July, Horner privately said the plan was to promote Hadjar. This has been the team’s direction of travel for at least five months now.

What Christian Horner said about new Racing Bulls signing Arvid Lindblad

Just as Hadjar benefited from Lawson’s promotion a year ago, Arvid Lindblad has now received his big F1 break.

The 18-year-old hasn’t been quite as successful in F2 (he’s currently sixth), but Hadjar had the benefit of an extra year in the series.

Some in the junior paddock think Lindblad isn’t ready for F1 yet, and the consensus is that Red Bull are taking a gamble.

But Horner was ‘particularly excited’ about Lindblad, and Helmut Marko has brushed off internal misgivings to give the team’s next young talent a chance.