Isack Hadjar has conceded that he felt some “doubt and pressure” when preparing to take the second seat at Red Bull, given that several drivers who came before him had struggled to match the performance of Max Verstappen.
It was confirmed in December 2025 that Hadjar would make the step up from sister team Racing Bulls for the following season, the Frenchman having done enough to impress during his rookie campaign in the sport.
The move meant that Hadjar would replace Yuki Tsunoda, who had been promoted in a seat swap with Liam Lawson following a difficult opening two rounds for the New Zealander.
In the years prior to this, drivers including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez had also experienced mixed fortunes in trying to match Verstappen, something that was not lost on Hadjar when he was preparing to step into the seat.
“Obviously, you come in and you’re aware of where you landed, so I definitely had a few doubts because it’s Max,” Hadjar explained during Thursday’s media day at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“It’s undeniable, he’s great. There was a bit of doubt and pressure, but so far it’s been going pretty much like I wanted. It was definitely on my mind.”
Despite this, Hadjar has achieved several good results – his best being a P4 in Monaco – while his recovery drive from the back of the grid to P6 in Belgium was hailed by Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies as his “best race” with the team.
“It started a bit tricky,” Hadjar explained as he looked back on the first half of the season. “The first couple of rounds, I feel like I was doing the easy stuff really wrong and the tough things, like being quick, in the rhythm and not too far from Max, really well.
“Since the last couple of rounds, I think I’ve found some consistency, and in the team we’ve fixed a few issues that make our life easier. It’s a lot easier when the car is reliable, When it’s performing, it’s easy to achieve results, I’m not going to lie.
“It’s good, but at the same time I would love to have a race where I can actually fight for a real podium, and that’s the next target.”
Hadjar also rated his level of confidence behind the wheel now, adding: “It’s a car I handle well. It’s not the easiest to drive, but it’s consistent. I’ve got the most out of it for a few rounds now, so I’m definitely happy.
“We’re still not where I want to be. There are still a few areas where we’re lacking competitiveness compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, so we still need to dig, but it’s definitely good progress.”
Pushed on whether he has surprised himself this season, the 21-year-old said: “I actually haven’t surprised myself this year, to be honest. I’ve just been driving at a high level, definitely better than last year.
“That’s normal because it’s my second season, so I’m not very experienced, but I’m improving a bit. I would say Max has been very impressive on Sundays, all around. I think my one-lap pace has been pretty good, but how well he is managing the races is on a different level, so that’s what I’m focusing on working on.”
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