Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Laurent Mekies feels Isack Hadjar has done “everything right” since joining Red Bull, but the real test of his suitability in the team will come when the 2026 season starts.
Red Bull promoted Hadjar from sister squad Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda in their top line-up for the 2026 F1 season. The 21-year-old earned the promotion after delivering a very strong rookie campaign last term, which even saw the Frenchman get his first podium finish.
Hadjar bagged his first F1 podium with P3 in the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where he also earned his best qualifying result of last season with P4. The Parisian was a qualifying specialist for Racing Bulls, as he made Q3 at 16 of the 24 races and only fell out in Q1 twice.
Red Bull team boss Mekies appreciates Hadjar’s commitment off the track, as well, as he has moved to England and spent a lot of time at their factory – even around F1’s two pre-season tests in Bahrain. But Red Bull are yet to really see how Hadjar will handle “pressure” in 2026.
Who will be the first F1 driver to retire from a race in 2026?
Let us know why in the comments!
Laurent Mekies feels Red Bull must put Isack Hadjar in the ‘right environment’ to survive the pressure
Pre-season testing was not perfect, as Hadjar crashed at the Barcelona shakedown and lost track time in Bahrain due to a hydraulic issue. But Mekies believes Hadjar is looking “calm”, as he prepares for his Red Bull debut in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the 2026 F1 season, from calendar to drivers
Yet Mekies adds that Red Bull need to ensure the “environment” around Hadjar is right for him to be able to handle the expectations that he now faces, as the teammate of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen and driving for a front-running squad that demands success.
Mekies told Motorsport.com: “So far, he’s done everything right – demonstrating the right approach in terms of commitment and personality. He moved to England immediately, is at the Milton Keynes headquarters every two days, and is working closely with the team.
“Between the two Sakhir tests, he returned to the simulator, leaving nothing to chance. On the eve of his departure for Melbourne, he looks very good, smiling and calm.
“Then it will be up to us to create the right environment around him when the pressure and expectations arrive, but he has the personality and preparation to do a good job.”
Isack Hadjar started to adapt to Red Bull’s car in Bahrain testing but the pressure will now build
Which driver will be the biggest disappointment of 2026, other than the Aston Martin duo?
Hadjar gradually adapted to Red Bull’s 2026 F1 car during testing in Bahrain, as he started to understand Verstappen’s high-revving approach to harvesting energy. The first Red Bull-Ford power unit impressed in Sakhir with how efficiently it harvested and deployed energy.
But Hadjar still has work to do for him to establish a presence among the top drivers and not face a similar season to Sergio Perez’s bleak 2024 campaign. Red Bull replaced Perez with Liam Lawson at first, as the Mexican only earned 152 of their 589 points in the 2024 season.
Lawson failed to score any points during his two rounds as a Red Bull driver, before Tsunoda then only managed to score 31 from 22 rounds. Hadjar has the advantage of joining Red Bull at the start of the 2026 regulations, but it will mean nothing if he cracks under the pressure.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
