Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Mike Hezemans thinks Isack Hadjar’s debut for Red Bull at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix may have proven that Max Verstappen cannot make a difference in F1’s new cars.
Hadjar enjoyed a strong start to his Red Bull career in Melbourne last week, after moving up from sister team Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda this season. The 21-year-old qualified third on the grid at Albert Park, and he was running well before he retired after only 10 laps.
An engine issue forced Hadjar to pull over while running fairly comfortably in fourth place in the Australian GP. He lost out off the line to the fast-starting Ferrari pair, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but did not have much of a threat from Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad behind.
Verstappen, meanwhile, recovered from starting 20th on the grid to finish the Australian GP in P6. Red Bull saw Verstappen crash during Q1 in Melbourne without posting a lap time, as his rear axle locked under braking into Turn 1 and it sent the four-time champion into a spin.
A first fastest lap of the season for Max Verstappen! Where would he have finished if he started in the top 10?
Isack Hadjar’s immediate pace in the Red Bull RB22 in Australia impressed Mike Hezemans
Hezemans believes Hadjar’s immediate pace in the Red Bull RB22 in racing conditions at the Australian GP may have already shown that less driver skill is now required to perform in the new cars built to F1’s 2026 regulations, as the cars are even more crucial for a driver’s result.
READ MORE: Five things we learnt from the 2026 Australian GP after Oscar Piastri crashed
Hadjar’s performance at Albert Park might have also shown that Verstappen will not be able to make as much of a difference as he did in previous years. Verstappen had carried Red Bull on his back in recent years, as he was the only driver able to extract their car’s performance.
Hezemans told RacingNews365: “Isack Hadjar was quite fast, so maybe that answers your question. I think it’s indeed a bit less in terms of pure speed for a qualifying lap. Perhaps the car plays an even bigger role now.
“It’s true that Hadjar was closer to Max than his [previous] teammates, and Lewis Hamilton was closer to Charles Leclerc. That could very well be an answer to your question.
“And it might be a bit easier, with everyone getting closer together. But perhaps you have to think more during the race about when you’re going to use [your battery]. Although this was the first race, so it will all get a lot better later on.”
Verstappen destroyed Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Tsunoda whilst teammates during the ground-effect era from 2022-2025, as he was the only one capable of controlling Red Bull’s cars. He did not mind that Red Bull’s set-ups with a sharp front end made the rear unstable.
Red Bull are still investigating what they can save from Isack Hadjar’s engine
P3 in qualifying for Isack Hadjar on his Red Bull debut!
Is it too early to get excited about the new signing?
Red Bull have confirmed since the Australian GP that Hadjar was forced to retire because of a power unit failure. But the Milton Keynes outfit are still investigating to see what they can rescue from that power unit and what parts they will already have to remove from his pool.
Hadjar will hope that Red Bull can save most, if not all, of the engine components he used in Australia. F1 has limited drivers to four internal combustion engines and turbochargers, plus three MGU-Ks, energy stores, control electronics and exhausts in total for the 2026 season.
If Hadjar has already lost any engine components after the first race of the year, then he will be at risk of receiving a grid penalty much sooner in the campaign. Red Bull will not want to shoot themselves in the foot with grid penalties with how close the top four teams could be.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
