Red Bull insiders are saying something about Isack Hadjar that never applied to Liam Lawson

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One of Formula 1’s worst-kept 2025 secrets is now finally a reality, as Isack Hadjar will join Red Bull in 2026.

The Frenchman will move up from Racing Bulls and replace Yuki Tsunoda at the Milton Keynes outfit. Hadjar will become the latest driver to partner with Max Verstappen.

The 21-year-old has had a standout rookie season in 2025. He has gone from crashing on the formation lap of his debut race in Melbourne to regularly reaching Q3 and scoring points.

His podium at Zandvoort highlights his impressive performances and potential. Helmut Marko has already compared Hadjar to Ayrton Senna, underscoring just how highly Red Bull rate him.

But the second seat has become a poisoned chalice, with Hadjar now Verstappen’s seventh different teammate since 2018. Nevertheless, Red Bull have indicated why this promotion is justified.

Red Bull insiders say Isack Hadjar has the ‘perfect’ time to adapt to Red Bull in 2026, unlike Liam Lawson

Red Bull are notorious for sacking and changing drivers, with the likes of Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez all failing to perform and subsequently being dropped.

In 2025, Liam Lawson was demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races in the RB21, and Tsunoda has been struggling to extract performance since he replaced him at Suzuka. Many fear that Hadjar will suffer the same fate.

But according to The Race, Red Bull insiders see it differently. They believe that the Frenchman’s promotion is ‘worthwhile’, due to his ‘rapid adaptation to F1’ and his strong pace at circuits that are new to him in 2025.

Furthermore, Red Bull say that Hadjar has the ‘perfect time for him to adapt to Red Bull and hit the ground running’ with the 2026 F1 regulations. While he is driving a new car and power unit, he will have three pre-season tests to get to grips with the changes.

This is good news for Hadjar, but it is something that never applied to Lawson, or his other predecessors, for that matter. The Kiwi driver was thrust into Red Bull at two circuits he had never raced on and was given no time to properly adapt to the RB21 before he was dropped.

It seems that it has taken six driver changes and new regulations for Red Bull to realise that their second driver needs as much time in the car as possible to extract top performance.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

How will Isack Hadjar fare against Max Verstappen at Red Bull?

After just one season in F1, Hadjar will find himself in arguably the most difficult position in the sport: being Max Verstappen’s teammate.

As history has shown, no driver has come close to challenging the Dutchman since Daniel Ricciardo left for Renault in 2019. Many talents have come and gone, most without proper time, and now Hadjar will be thrust into the seat and expected to perform.

The Frenchman’s talent is unquestionable and he has the skills to be a top driver. Guenther Steiner thinks Hadjar could be ‘one of the greats’ at Red Bull.

But that all depends on whether the team can fix the issues with the second car and give Hadjar a feeling from it that he can use to fight at the front. After all, that is what a Red Bull driver should be doing, not getting knocked out in Q1 in a car that is not suited to them.