Jolyon Palmer says six-time F1 champions have two Max Verstappen level talents on their books

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The Red Bull Driver Academy has many young drivers who are pushing for a chance to race in Formula 1 in the coming seasons.

At the start of the season, the reigning world champions enjoyed a dominant advantage before McLaren in particular made sizeable gains to close the gap.

McLaren has won two races this season, including a superb 1-2 finish in Hungary. However, the race was marred by indecisiveness on the radio over team orders.

The British team’s upturn in form has boosted their confidence ahead of the summer break. They have put more pressure on their rivals and moved to within 42 points of Red Bull as Sergio Perez continues to flounder.

Jolyon Palmer believes Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson could be the ‘next Max Verstappens’

Speaking on the Weekend Warm-Up show on F1’s Youtube channel, Jolyon Palmer, who entered 37 Grands Prix for Renault in his career, said Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson could be ‘potential next Max Verstappens.’

The Briton pointed out that Red Bull has a huge amount of talent waiting for an opportunity in Formula 1, and they retained Perez to maintain harmony in the team.

Red Bull has many drivers in their academy who have delivered race wins and championships throughout their junior careers.

French driver Hadjar is leading the championship in Formula 2 for Campos during his second season in the series.

Red Bull’s sister team, RB, are running Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda this season, and the former has suffered multiple lacklustre rounds.

Palmer explained that Red Bull should prioritise finding a seat for its young talent, although there isn’t a standout candidate to be Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull.

He said: “The thing is for Red Bull, they’ve kept stability, and they are now in a dog fight for the Championship. So they’re obviously choosing stability. They’re choosing to keep Max happy, having the teammate alongside him, no shuffle.

“There’s no obvious candidate to put in Checo’s place for this year. But Red Bull have a embarrassment of riches on the bench at the moment, with Hadjar leading F2, with Liam Lawson still twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines.

“They’ve got to get those guys into cars because these could be potential next Max Verstaappen’s. They’re the ones that need to have a space somewhere.”

Where are Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar’s options for 2025?

Red Bull’s duo of young drivers are blisteringly fast and have both won races in Formula 2 while competing at the front of the field.

Despite their raw speed and good attitude, the pair have limited options in Formula 1 for next season with just 20 cars on the grid.

Most of the seats are already filled, but there could be an opening at RB if Perez continues to underperform.

A struggling Perez could mean he is replaced by Australian driver Ricciardo, leaving a space available at RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

Red Bull could also choose to replace Ricciardo, RB’s most experienced driver, who suffered an underwhelming start to the year.

This could be the opportunity for Lawson or Hadjar, with one of the young talents potentially missing out. Lawson impressed during his stint at AlphaTauri in 2023 and could be the more favoured option.