Red Bull promoted Isack Hadjar after Helmut Marko was blown away by Charles Leclerc-like trait

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Red Bull Racing have finally announced that Max Verstappen will be joined by Isack Hadjar for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Isack Hadjar has gone from failing to start what should have been his F1 debut in Australia to finishing on the podium at Zandvoort and earning a seat alongside one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.

Hadjar will complete his final race for Racing Bulls at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before becoming the latest driver to try and keep up with Max Verstappen.

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The Frenchman managed to convince team principal Laurent Mekies and advisor Helmut Marko with his performances throughout 2025.

Marko has been a supporter of Hadjar for some time, regularly suggesting he should have beaten Gabriel Bortoleto in the F2 championship last year if it weren’t for a plethora of technical issues.

A puncture in Qatar denied Hadjar another impressive top-six finish, and journalist Jon Noble has pinpointed a trait that’s synonymous with Ferrari star Charles Leclerc that Marko has now seen in the 21-year-old.

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

New Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar possesses Charles Leclerc’s search for perfection

Noble was speaking about the circumstances surrounding Hadjar’s promotion on The Race F1 Podcast.

He said: “He’s got that little kind of Charles Leclerc element of being very self-critical unless he’s achieved perfection.

“So he can be kicking himself. We do speak to him in the pen and he’s qualified fifth or sixth, and it looks sensational.

“But he’s furious with it all because he missed out on the chance to do fourth because he got traffic at the wrong time, or the tyres weren’t at the right window, or something went wrong.

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“So, I think there is this kind of competitive intensity to him, which is really, really interesting.

“I think all F1 drivers have to have because the day you’re satisfied with being fifth or sixth is kind of the day you’re not making progress and pushing yourself forward.

“So I think this is a trait that especially Helmut Marko likes, just this kind of desire that today wasn’t good enough, I need to be better tomorrow.

“And that potentially may explain why Hadjar’s made this consistent improvement through the season.”

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Isack Hadjar must not fall into the same trap as Charles Leclerc during his F1 career

Leclerc is widely regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid, but it’s clear after seven seasons at Ferrari that he’s becoming more and more frustrated.

Martin Brundle once called Leclerc F1’s best qualifier, and it’s hard to ignore 27 pole positions during his career.

The Monegasque driver sits 11th in the all-time list of most pole positions, but all 10 drivers ahead of him are Formula 1 world champions.

Leclerc has been critical of Ferrari this season, and has started to be linked to other teams on the grid as a result.

If Hadjar is as similar to Leclerc as Marko believes, then he needs to try and avoid constantly searching for perfection and instead learn to adapt to whichever car he’s driving as quickly as possible.

If Hadjar can do that, then while he may not be on the same level as Verstappen any time soon, it will allow him to get closer to the Dutchman than any of his previous teammates.