Isack Hadjar has never stayed with the same team in back-to-back seasons during his career, and that pattern is set to continue.
The Red Bull driver will add another team to his CV in 2026 when he replaces Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing after a promising debut campaign alongside the Kiwi at Racing Bulls.
The move won’t come as a surprise to many who have followed Red Bull over recent years, given its well-established lack of patience when it comes to drivers not delivering results – especially as Verstappen’s teammate.
Yuki Tsunoda’s 100 race starts weren’t enough experience to earn a second season alongside Verstappen, while Lawson’s radio messages after the Chinese Grand Prix highlighted the issues he was having with the car.
The Frenchman has two podiums through five rounds of the current season, although that doesn’t tell anything close to the full story behind his start to 2025. His other three finishes have been outside of the points while also being involved in an incident with Kevin Magnussen in Australia that saw him hit with a drive-through penalty before retiring.
Felipe Massa believes F1’s new regulations will help Isack Hadjar succeed at Red Bull
Massa spoke to RMC Sport, via Instagram, about Hadjar’s move to Red Bull, offering a positive outlook on the young driver’s future.
“I think he impressed everyone last year. He had a fantastic year, learning and showing a very good performance in many races,” Massa said.
“Today, he has an amazing opportunity. Going to the most important team in Red Bull.
“He definitely has a big pressure, having Max next to him. But I think he needs to put in his mind the learning progress and the developing progress to be at the level he can be one day.
“And I think maybe he moved to Red Bull in the right year because now all the rules are different, everything is different.
“So, the way you need to drive the car is different, so maybe it won’t be the same Red Bull that they had in recent years where the second driver couldn’t drive like Max Verstappen,” Massa continued.
Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull shakedown ends in the barrier after ‘pretty smooth’ Barcelona test
Details from the Circuit de Catalunya emerged despite the shakedown in Barcelona being held away from public view.
Red Bull ran on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, with Hadjar completing his running during the first two days in Spain.
The test was held under wet conditions, and there were a few incidents throughout. Hadjar was one of several drivers to find the wall, echoing Pierre Gasly’s crash when he first joined Red Bull’s senior team.
Hadjar didn’t seem too concerned when looking back on the day and commented: “It was pretty productive. Surprisingly, we managed to do a lot more laps than we expected.
“Everything went pretty smoothly. We had only minor issues, so it’s quite impressive considering it’s our first day with our own engine, so that was definitely smooth.”
If he has a clean pre-season in Bahrain followed by a strong opening round at the Australian Grand Prix, any setbacks from Barcelona will be quickly overshadowed by his progress.
The time Verstappen needs to adapt could give Hadjar an early chance to close ground that Lawson never quite managed to make up – an opportunity that could prove crucial for him this year.
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