Johnny Herbert now sees one of Lewis Hamilton’s best attributes from his ‘heyday’ in Isack Hadjar

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Red Bull Racing’s newest driver, Isack Hadjar, will very much enjoy the comparison Johnny Herbert has just made to his racing idol, Lewis Hamilton.

Isack Hadjar can make a strong claim that he had the best season out of any of the rookies on the grid in 2025.

Racing Bulls almost seemed reticent to promote Hadjar from F2 when it became clear that Sergio Perez was being sacked by Red Bull and Liam Lawson would be his replacement.

How many podiums and wins will Isack Hadjar achieve in his first season as a Red Bull driver?

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Despite a nightmare start in Australia, Hadjar went on to beat both Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in the drivers’ championship last year, and only he and Andrea Kimi Antonelli out of the 2025 rookies, earned a podium.

Now, Hadjar gets the opportunity to learn from Max Verstappen alongside him at Red Bull this season.

He’ll hope not to become the latest driver to struggle with the pressure of partnering the four-time world champion, but Johnny Herbert has spotted something in Hadjar that reminds him of Lewis Hamilton when he was at his peak.

READ MORE: Who is 2026 Red Bull F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

Johnny Herbert compares Isack Hadjar to Lewis Hamilton ‘in his heyday’ ahead of Red Bull debut

Herbert was speaking to Damon Hill on the Stay on Track Podcast about Hadjar’s upcoming season with Red Bull.

Hill said: “What you’re talking about is his personality is a factor.

“You’re saying Isack Hadjar’s personality is engaging. I think the teams like to work with someone like that.

“So, he’s not a quiet little mouse. He’s someone who is expressive without being abusive.

“I thought some of his radio messages were a little bit fruity. But you probably didn’t expect everyone to listen to them.

Herbert replied: “Yeah, but you need that. You need that sometimes for someone to question what’s going on.

“And to make them think again, it goes back to what you said. It’s making them think, well, maybe we’re not doing the right call on strategy or whatever it may be.

“So a driver needs to do that. Does Max do that? Yes, did Lewis do it in his heyday? Yes, all the greats do it.”

Hill continued: “And it’s that enthusiasm. When things go well, he’s showing the team how delighted he is and how excited. And that infects them as well. They get a kick out of it, too.”

“But, is it one level more?” Herbert asked. “It’s almost like it’s three levels more.

“And that’s where the pressure comes from a family environment. And it’s well done, well done. That was a great weekend getting sixth place or fourth place or whatever it may be, and that was a really good result.

“But you’re not expecting that to happen every time. So the expectations are very, very different.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Max Verstappen already taking the lead on Red Bull progress after Christian Horner’s exit

It’s encouraging that Hadjar’s questioning mindset has already been noticed, as he arrives at a team where the drivers are given more power over the direction of the car’s development.

New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has encouraged Verstappen to take the lead on his car’s set-up, and he will no doubt be communicating with the factory to give them feedback on the new 2026 car.

Hadjar is joining Red Bull at the right time to give his thoughts on their first car of the new regulation era, and can steer the team away from leaning too heavily on Verstappen’s assessments.

Otherwise, the car will quickly be developed in a direction where only Verstappen can maximise its performance.

Red Bull might want that, knowing that getting the most out of their star driver gives them the best chance of succeeding.

But, at the same time, Red Bull know they need both drivers to be in the fight, otherwise any hope of winning the constructors’ championship is over.