Isack Hadjar, who begins his journey alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in the 2026 Formula 1 season, faces a major challenge, according to former driver Jolyon Palmer. After a promising start in F1 last year with Racing Bulls, where he overcame difficult moments, including a crash in Melbourne, Hadjar is now preparing for his first season as Verstappen’s teammate.
Read more F1: Hamilton and Kim Kardashian are spotted again, now in Arizona
Palmer, initially optimistic about Hadjar’s promotion, acknowledged that there is no perfect time to be Verstappen’s partner. In his podcast, he highlighted that the Dutchman’s driving style can be a challenge for his teammates: “Max may not like the new cars, but he is the most adapted to them,” Palmer stated. Verstappen is known for his impressive control over the team’s unstable rear end, a characteristic that his teammates often struggle to master.
Furthermore, Hadjar underperformed in pre-season testing, facing reliability issues that affected his track time. While Verstappen completed 546 laps during testing in Bahrain, Hadjar did only 327, and recorded a time of 1:34.260, more than a second slower than the Dutch driver’s time. Palmer also highlighted that, although the logic of the new regulations suggested a good time for Hadjar’s promotion, the conditions of the new cars and the adaptation challenges made the scenario more complex.
Read more F1: What would be the solution in case of cancellation of the Bahrain GP?
“There is no good time to be Max Verstappen’s teammate,” Palmer concluded, acknowledging that the Red Bull Racing driver may be the best prepared to deal with unstable cars, at least for now, in this new phase of Formula 1.
Read more F1: Hadjar highlights ease of adaptation after promotion to Red Bull
