Has Hadjar Finally Broken the Red Bull Second Seat Curse?

Isack Hadjar steps into Red Bull’s second seat for 2026, tasked with matching Max Verstappen. Early evidence shows a narrow qualifying deficit and a competitive points trend versus recent teammates.

His promotion follows a strong 2025 rookie campaign with Racing Bulls and evident internal support highlighted in recent briefings. That confidence contrasts with early adaptation doubts, which are fading as mileage and execution improve.

On standardized 90-second lap analysis, Hadjar averages just over 0.1s slower than Verstappen in qualifying. That provides a representative, circuit-adjusted snapshot of outright pace across venues.

It is the closest any Red Bull teammate has come since Daniel Ricciardo’s 2017 benchmark of roughly 0.05s. His gap expanded in 2018, approaching 0.2s as dynamics shifted.

By contrast, recent pairings show larger gaps: Yuki Tsunoda in 2025 averaged over 0.6s, while Alex Albon in 2020 and Sergio Perez in 2023 exceeded half a second. Pierre Gasly hovered near 0.5s.

The points picture supports that trajectory. After 11 races, Hadjar trails Verstappen by 41 points, a manageable deficit compared with historical benchmarks inside this team environment.

The scale becomes clearer against prior seasons. Verstappen finished 2025 a massive 388 clear of Tsunoda, and 2023 by 290 over Perez, underlining Red Bull’s dominance through that period.

Ricciardo remains the only Red Bull teammate to outscore Verstappen across a season. In 2017 he scored 200 to Verstappen’s 168. Verstappen reversed that in 2018, winning by 79.

Hadjar’s closeness on Saturdays gives Red Bull strategic latitude. Track position, offset tyre strategies, and undercut threats gain credibility when the second car operates within Verstappen’s window.

Sundays demand repeatable execution. Starts, tyre management, and pitstop precision will decide whether the deficit shrinks, especially amid any emerging car issues or setup sensitivities.

If he sustains this level, the long-discussed “second seat curse” weakens. The season remains open, but the ingredients for a genuine internal contest are now clear.

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Zane Muniz

Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.