Isack Hadjar must listen to Sergio Perez’s ‘lesson’ for being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate

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Isack Hadjar is set to become the fourth Red Bull driver to line up alongside Max Verstappen in just over 12 months in 2026.

The Formula 1 rookie has been rewarded with a promotion after showing a lot of promise in his first 24 races. That includes scoring a heroic podium for Racing Bulls in Zandvoort.

Red Bull took their time to assess multiple options for the role before announcing it ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago.

It’s a bold choice to move Hadjar up so early, and it comes with the risk that it might be a little too soon for him. The Frenchman will need plenty of support.

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Hadjar’s self-criticism is ‘tragic’ and is something that he has to work on ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations, where he will have a lot on his plate.

There is a chance that Hadjar could adapt to the Red Bull car faster than Verstappen next year, but it all depends on whether the new cars suit him more.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko tells Isack Hadjar what he must do at Red Bull to make him ‘proud’

Isack Hadjar needs to listen to Sergio Perez and ’embrace’ his new role at Red Bull

Hadjar needs to help Verstappen in 2026 and make sure that there is always more than one Red Bull at the front of the pack.

Too many times over the last few seasons has the four-time champion been left to fend for himself against rivals with two cars in the fight.

That’s why Sergio Perez, who served Red Bull well for some time before dropping off in 2024, has already given Hadjar a good ‘lesson’. Embracing his new role is a must.

“It’s a very good lesson, isn’t it?” he said at the EXMA 2025 conference. “Sometimes we’re not in our ideal work environment, we’re not in the right circumstances, and we know we have much greater potential than we’re showing, but because of the circumstances, we’re not demonstrating it, right?

“So, the easiest thing is to complain and start blaming others. Then maybe I wouldn’t have lasted, and I wouldn’t have been so successful.

“So the best thing you can do in those circumstances is embrace it and say, ‘You know what, this is what I have, and I’m going to make the most of it while it lasts.’ And that’s what I did.”

READ MORE: Isack Hadjar told he’s done something that ‘won’t be tolerated’ next to Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Why Isack Hadjar was the right driver for Red Bull to hire in 2026

Martin Brundle thinks Hadjar has ‘the right character’ for Red Bull, and he has already shown at times that he is a durable driver.

He might get a bit angry at his own mistakes, but overall, he’s still a very young driver, and it’s going to take some time for him to mature.

Both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson have tried and failed, so they weren’t great options. Arvid Lindblad hasn’t even started a race yet, so he can’t have been in with a chance either.

That left Hadjar as the only viable option from within, which is one of the team’s core philosophies. Hiring externally for the first year of a new set of regulations was always going to be unlikely.