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Despite Red Bull’s second seat proving to be near career-ending for the majority of Max Verstappen’s teammates in recent years, Isack Hadjar has explained why there is actually ‘less pressure’ than it seems.
As far as the majority of Max Verstappen’s teammates have fared alongside the four-time F1 world champion, Isack Hadjar has enjoyed a rather solid start to life at his new team.
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After seven rounds of racing, the Frenchman has already surpassed the tally of points that Yuki Tsunoda was able to claim across 22 rounds of racing with Red Bull last year. Hadjar also had his hands on some silverware at Monaco before the FIA reinstated Pierre Gasly.
Recently, F1 pundit Johnny Herbert sang Hadjar’s praises, highlighting how he has ‘never’ seen anyone take the fight to Verstappen quite like the 21-year-old has been doing during his maiden year at Red Bull so far.
The key to Hadjar’s pace may lie in how he approaches his partnership with Verstappen. While those who came before him felt the pressure of the Dutchman’s high-flying results, Hadjar sees it as actually taking the pressure off him.
Isack Hadjar says there is ‘less pressure’ for Max Verstappen’s teammates
During an interview with Spanish outlet Diario AS ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Hadjar was asked for his thoughts on what it’s like being Verstappen’s counterpart now that he has had seven rounds of racing alongside him.
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“It’s great because I can finally measure myself against the best in the world and see how it’s reflected in the data,” he replied. “It’s very impressive. So I’m really enjoying it, pushing myself to the limit and having to find lap times I never even imagined. Honestly, it’s incredible.”
The Frenchman was then asked whether he is now feeling the pressure of being compared to the four-time world champion on a weekly basis, to which he replied, “If anything, there’s less pressure, because you’re next to, on paper, the best.
“So, whatever you do is somewhat expected, but it’s not what I want. Of course, what I want is to be as close as possible and prove my worth. I have the talent and the inner speed to be up there, so I put pressure on myself, but I don’t really notice it from those around me.”
- READ MORE: Isack Hadjar demands Red Bull make big RB22 change after first-of-its-kind experience in Barcelona
One advantage of being Verstappen’s teammate is the fact that Hadjar has access to his data on race weekends, and he takes no shame in admitting that he puts it to use. He even went as far as saying it would be “stupid” not to.
“If you want to move forward, you need to know what’s going on around you,” the Frenchman continued. “You need to know what the other car is doing, whether it’s fast or not. So you need to be alert.
“Yes, of course, if you have a four-time world champion next to you and you’re not going to take advantage of it, that’s stupid.”
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