Isack Hadjar Reveals Red Bull’s Doubts After Past Second Driver Issues

Isack Hadjar admits he joined Red Bull beside Max Verstappen with doubts, given the seat’s bruising history. Ten races in, he delivers steady points and a baseline against F1’s benchmark.

Red Bull’s second car has rotated regularly since Daniel Ricciardo left in 2018. Pierre Gasly lasted 12 races; Alex Albon a season and a half; Sergio Perez four years.

That churn informs Hadjar’s caution. Verstappen sets development direction and driving reference, narrowing setup windows. A teammate must quickly adapt to a pointy front end and a mobile rear.

Despite the pressure, Hadjar sits eighth in the standings on 68 points after 10 rounds. Verstappen leads on 109, but the deficit compares favorably with some previous teammates.

Monaco provided the headline. Hadjar briefly stood third before an appeal restored Pierre Gasly to the podium, leaving the Frenchman fourth for his best result to date.

He frames progress as meeting expectations for a rookie at this level. He has discussed the mental load and adaptation pace in detail in his recent comments on pressure.

Technically, Red Bull’s emphasis on rotation on entry and mid-corner trust in rear grip rewards Verstappen’s style. Hadjar’s task is to converge on that philosophy without overdriving or inducing thermal degradation.

Operationally, the second car underpins strategy breadth and constructors’ scoring. If Hadjar sustains clean weekends, he strengthens Red Bull’s hand and eases forthcoming selection calls.

The Verstappen–Hadjar dynamic will evolve as upgrades arrive. Insights on that balance are explored in our deeper Verstappen/Hadjar analysis, and any extension decisions will value consistency over peaks.

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James William

James William covers the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, from the Rolex 24 at Daytona to sprint-race formats. His reports include prototype performance reviews, GT class battles, and pit-stop strategy insights for endurance-racing fans.