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Isack Hadjar is preparing for life as Max Verstappen’s seventh different Red Bull teammate and will want to learn from the mistakes that the drivers who came before him all made.
Red Bull have leaned into the idea of having a number one driver more than any other team on the grid since they promoted Sebastian Vettel from Toro Rosso in 2009.
Although Mark Webber came close to Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo initially beat Max Verstappen, both four-time world champions eventually came out on top.
How many podiums and wins will Isack Hadjar achieve in his first season as a Red Bull driver?
Sergio Perez has provided some harsh truths about being in Red Bull’s second seat, suggesting that former team principal Christian Horner never truly had faith in Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda.
However, a change in the team’s structure, with Horner and Helmut Marko both gone, could be just what Isack Hadjar needs to thrive alongside the Dutchman.
Hadjar knows he has a lot to learn, and has now shared what he finds so impressive about Verstappen.
Although matching the 28-year-old might be initially out of the question, he will hope the upcoming regulation changes level the playing field going into 2026.
READ MORE: Who is 2026 Red Bull F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know
Isack Hadjar says being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate is a ‘huge privilege’
Hadjar was asked on the Talking Bull podcast how it feels to be driving alongside Verstappen in 2026, and he simply replied: “So cool!
“I’m just 21 years old, I started in single-seaters in 2019, and I get to be teammates with the best driver on the grid.
“It’s a huge privilege. Ahead of 2026, [I’ve] not really [spoken to him]. But I think the driver’s parade is the right time to go and have good chats with him, but he’s a very nice dude.”
The Frenchman was then asked if there was anything he looked at in Verstappen that he needed to work on, and Hadjar continued: “Why did he finish so close to being world champion without the best car?
“There’s been races where there’s very tricky conditions, and he’s always going to be here.
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“When conditions are a bit difficult, he’s there, and also his ability to just… he always turns up in Q3, he always goes and finds more lap time.
“If there’s like a single opportunity, if there’s a scenario out of 10 million, there’s only one where he’s going to win the race, he’ll win the race.
“You can really feel that once he goes in the car, you can tell there’s a mix of his natural ability, and you can tell that his 11 years of F1 are paying off.
“He goes in, and I just feel like he drives this F1 car like a go-kart, that’s the difference.”
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Johnny Herbert has pinpointed Isack Hadjar’s greatest ‘strength’ that he’ll bring to Red Bull
Hadjar was superb during his rookie season with Racing Bulls, with the zenith of his maiden campaign coming at the Dutch Grand Prix.
It was the only time in 2025 that two Red Bull-backed drivers stood on the podium alongside each other, with Verstappen and Hadjar finishing second and third behind Oscar Piastri.
Johnny Herbert believes Hadjar has certain strengths that will allow him to thrive at Red Bull.
He’s incredibly confident in his own abilities, which isn’t unfamiliar for Verstappen’s teammates.
Perez once believed he could challenge his teammate for the world championship, and Yuki Tsunoda didn’t expect to struggle where Liam Lawson had last year.
However, all of those drivers quickly learnt how difficult it was being Verstappen’s number two driver, and if Hadjar goes into the season with the mindset of wanting to learn rather than wanting to win, that could be crucial for his long-term future with the team.
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