Isack Hadjar admitted that being promoted to Red Bull and becoming Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull left him with ‘some doubts’, especially because of the history of second drivers.
The Frenchman stepped up to the RB22 for the 2026 season, aware of the challenges faced by drivers who came in previous years. In fact, the seat is seen as one of the toughest and most unforgiving on the grid.
After Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of 2018, Pierre Gasly drove for 12 races before being replaced by Alexander Albon, who was replaced after a season and a half; then it was Sergio Pérez’s turn, who stayed alongside Max for four years before being replaced by Liam Lawson.
The New Zealander stayed for two GPs before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who stayed until the end of 2025 before Hadjar’s arrival. Therefore, when he was promoted, he had this history in the back of his mind.
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“Obviously, you arrive and are aware of where you ended up. Without a doubt, I had some doubts, because it’s Max; it’s undeniable that he is excellent,” he said.
“So, a bit of doubt, a bit of pressure, but so far, things have happened pretty much as I wanted. But yes, that was certainly on my mind,” he concluded.
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