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France is currently enjoying its strongest representation in F1 for over two decades, and Esteban Ocon has some words of warning for compatriot Isack Hadjar ahead of the young Frenchman’s debut season with the front-running Red Bull outfit.
Isack Hadjar was one of the standout rookies during a 2025 campaign that saw several drivers make their F1 debuts in a full-time capacity, and was named as the rookie of the year by several figures from within the paddock.
Despite a disastrous opening race of his F1 career at the 2025 Australian GP, Hadjar bounced back with a swathe of impressive results in Racing Bulls machinery, with his podium at Zandvoort serving as the main course.
The 21-year-old is now the latest driver to be pitted against four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull, and it is clear that Hadjar now has a difficult task on his hands to save himself from suffering the same fate as his predecessors at the Austrian constructor.
- READ MORE: James Hinchcliffe tells Isack Hadjar why Adrian Newey’s Red Bull exit could actually help him
How many podiums and wins will Isack Hadjar achieve in his first season as a Red Bull driver?
Esteban Ocon advises Isack Hadjar that ‘everything is reset’ after each F1 race weekend
During an interview with French broadcaster Canal+, Esteban Ocon touched upon Hadjar’s journey to the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport and began by highlighting how positive it is to see him secure a seat at Red Bull so early into his career.
He said, “It’s a beautiful story for Isack. His family is very supportive. We see them at the races. He’s someone who has always had a close-knit family and who has given his all to his career.
“I think we’ve had very different paths in terms of how our careers have developed. I’m very happy to see him in this position. He’s had a great season, and he deserves to be in F1. I wish him all the best.
“As for the future, I hope that together we’ll be able to hear the Marseillaise on the podium very soon. He did it last year, he had a great podium finish, and we were all very happy for him.”
Ocon then offered some words of advice to his younger rival, citing Hadjar’s successful rookie season as being the first of many necessary achievements to ensure that he enjoys a lengthy tenure in Formula 1.
The Haas star added, “Now, you never know what the future holds. So we both have to be ready every time, because it doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past.
“Whether we’ve won races or finished on the podium, it doesn’t matter. We’re judged on every race. Every race, everything is reset to zero.”
- READ MORE: How Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar privately reacted to first seeing Red Bull’s 2026 F1 car
What would make a good season for Red Bull in 2026?
Isack Hadjar’s performances at Red Bull in 2026 are highly anticipated
Given the recent record of Verstappen’s teammates at Red Bull, the calibre of results that Hadjar can achieve with the Milton Keynes-based outfit are highly anticipated ahead of the 2026 F1 season.
Hadjar has already reminded Red Bull staff of one driver who lasted just nine races alongside the Dutchman following his crash in testing, so the Frenchman will be hoping that any comparison to former failed projects ends there.
F1 fans echoed the same sentiment, which indicates that the wider scope of the sport’s audience is sitting on the edge of their seat to see whether the Austrian constructor has managed to finally get their line-up right this year.
The only thing to do now is to sit back and wait for some more lap times to be provided.
F1’s two weeks of testing in Bahrain will certainly help decipher how comfortable the Frenchman is against his vastly more experienced teammate, but the opening round of the 2026 term in Australia will be the first true test for him.
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