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Johnny Herbert has praised Isack Hadjar for doing something at Red Bull that he has never seen another driver do since Max Verstappen joined the outfit in 2016.
Since being thrust into the spotlight in place of Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull that year, Verstappen has seen six teammates come and go from the Austrian constructor’s garages, with Isack Hadjar being the seventh to be pitted against the high-flying Dutchman.
Isack Hadjar has already beaten Yuki Tsunoda’s 2025 points tally! Where does he rank among Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammates?
As such, much of the discussion in pre-season was regarding whether the young Frenchman would be able to finally put an end to the infamous second-seat ‘curse’ at Red Bull, despite so many talents being unable to do it themselves.
Johnny Herbert thinks Isack Hadjar has forced Max Verstappen to start ‘doubting’ himself at Red Bull
In a recent episode of the Stay On Track podcast with F1 pundits Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert, they were discussing the mental pressure that drivers often face during their time on the grid.
It led the 1996 F1 world champion to offer Verstappen as one of the grid’s sole residents who doesn’t usually show that he is feeling the pressure, a verdict that his co-host quickly disagreed with.
“There are some drivers who have probably never experienced something similar to Max Verstappen; he’s so mentally strong,” Hill began. “He doesn’t need convincing of his own abilities, but some drivers do. Some drivers are more emotional beings.”
“I think you’d still doubt yourself, because if you look at Hadjar, actually, in Barcelona against Max, he was mighty close after qualifying,” Herbert replied, referencing the half-a-tenth gap between Hadjar and Verstappen in Q3 at the most recent race weekend.
“I think it was only a couple of hundredths. So he’d be doubting himself, thinking, ‘Well, he’s a bit close,’ because he’s never had that.
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“He’s always been the one who’s had a massive gap with all his teammates; suddenly, he’s got someone who is, not at every single Grand Prix, but pretty much he’s there or thereabout.”
Hill then joined his former rival in praising the young Frenchman, before identifying a trait that he still needs to stamp out as he becomes more experienced in the sport.
He added, “He has impressed. We ought to mention that. Well, he’s not been buried like all the others, has he? He whinges a lot on the radio. I’ve noticed that quite a bit.
“I want to have a word with him and say, ‘Just let it go, man. Concentrate on racing,’ but that’s his personality.”
Herbert then offered his thoughts on Hadjar’s radio outbursts by comparing him to the current championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. He ended with, “It’s his personality, yeah, and it’s the same as Kimi. He’s got the same thing as Kimi.
“It’s Bono who is always trying to calm him down and make him focus on what he needs to focus on, but that’s part of the whole relationship.”
- READ MORE: Max Verstappen sends message to Isack Hadjar after first Red Bull podium at Monaco Grand Prix
Damon Hill also noted how Max Verstappen ‘disappeared’ at the Barcelona GP
Hill had more words of criticism for the Red Bull ace at the beginning of the episode, pointing out how he had seemingly gone missing from his lack of coverage during the race weekend in Montmelo.
“Can I just mention before we get all euphoric and everything about Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the Ferrari… There was someone missing in that race, can you guess who it was?” he asked Herbert.
“Max Verstappen; He wasn’t even in the race. I mean, suddenly he disappeared. It’s incredible, isn’t it? But this is how quickly things change in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton, last year, was down and out, wasn’t he?”
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