Is Isack Hadjar the Best Max Verstappen Teammate Since Daniel Ricciardo?
· Yahoo Sports
Red Bull scored its first double podium at the F1 Azerbaijan GP in a long time, even though it was not a win, but Isack Hadjar showed his mettle against Max Verstappen.
The last time Red Bull had two cars on the podium was back in the 2024 Chinese GP when Verstappen took the win and Sergio Perez was third. It took them nearly two years to get another one in F1 Azerbaijan GP, with the Dutchman second and a returning Hadjar in third.
Between then and now, Red Bull chanced with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in the seat alongside Verstappen, but to no avail. Hadjar brought a breath of fresh air at the start of the 2026 F1 season, under new regulations, which may have helped the Frenchman’s cause.
Russell Explains Why Verstappen Could be Trailing His Teammates
If we go by Mercedes’ George Russell, it could be that Verstappen is just making it difficult to get to terms with the new regulations due to his driving style. The Brit feels it has allowed the likes of Hadjar and even Lawson for a few races to be closer to the four-time F1 champion.
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Whether it is the case or not, but from the get-go, Hadjar has been on pace. The Frenchman impressed in his time at Racing Bulls, which helped in securing a promotion in 2026, pipping Lawson in the process. The Frenchman did not disappoint, even though he had his moments.
His injury did not set him back apart from missing a few rounds. Hadjar returned with all the power and the drive in Azerbaijan GP not just cemented his pace, but also his mindset as a team player and calculator, without the rage and shouting that he is known for on the radio.
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – SEPTEMBER 26: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford Powertrains leads Isack Hadjar of France driving the (6) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford Powertrains on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 26, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Pantling/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202609260197 // Usage for editorial use only //Mekies Did Not Anticipate Pace Shown by Hadjar
Red Bull waited for him to recover, something team boss Laurent Mekies stressed on. Even he did not anticipate the pace he showed. “I think it was outstanding what Isack has produced in Baku, really outstanding,” he said to the media after F1 Azerbaijan GP.
“At first the most important thing is that he felt straight away good in the car, no pain, which means that everything we know, every time that we met together in the last few weeks, and we said we will wait for Isack to come back at 100% because that’s the priority. Well, that’s what happened, he was in the car, he didn’t have any pain.
“Nonetheless, even without pain, it’s not an easy track to go back to because of no margin for error. And he has been building up his rhythms session after sessions very calmly with a lot of positive energy and already in qualifying to stick the car in P4 was already a very strong result. I think the sort of race pace he has shown on the medium, on the soft is something that we had not seen before.
“So on the weekend of his return he has raised the bar again. We say to each other very often that we have seen him adding something to the business every time he was going out on the track in the first part of the seasons and he’s continuing to do that,” summed up Mekies, who highlighted his cleverness, which was to be seen by everyone watching.
Hadjar Impressed No Just Red Bull, But Everyone Watching
It was not just for Red Bull, but also for the viewers who were taken by surprise how Hadjar managed the grand prix. He started strongly in fourth as he chased McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for second. He had Verstappen behind, but it didn’t flutter him at all, as he went by his race.
When his pace dropped, he did not waste time letting Verstappen through. The radio conversations that took place even surprised the commentators, as they did to us. He was happy to be behind the Dutchman and bid his time. But it was not a give up as other teammates have done in the past.
He stayed on Verstappen’s tail through and through and didn’t flinch to ask his race engineer to hurry Verstappen. He dropped half a move at one point as well, showing that he was not afraid to throw the ca around and retake his position that he seemingly gave up.
Radio Calmness as Mekies Points At Clever Tactics from Hadjar
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202609260213 // Usage for editorial use only //Mekies pointed out the cleverness and calculative mind that people did not associate with Hadjar until now. From his F2 days at Racing Bulls and even part of Red Bull, the Frenchman has been full of rage on the radio – whether because of his own mistakes or some by the team.
But in Azerbaijan GP, it was different. “On top of that, allow me to say he also raced extremely cleverly with Max, very disciplined with his tyres and he told others to have a very strong teamwork between them two between the pit wall and ultimately produce the best result possible,” reflected Mekies.
“I think you are pinpointing exactly on the right details that makes you understand a lot more about the right pictures. It shows you how cleverly the kid is racing and how much of brain capacity he is developing while in the car and how much emotion control he is managing to have and it’s as many indicators of steps he has made in all these areas on top of producing more speed.
Red Bull Providing Best Environment to Hadjar to Grow
“So it’s exactly that trajectory that has been impressing us every day since he has joined the team and probably last year as well and that’s also there that we want to give him the best possible environment for him to continue to develop because that that step was truly impressive. Look we always say that it’s our number one job to ensure that we put our people in the conditions to express their talent at best.
“And we say that for our engineers, for our mechanics, for our staff and that applies equally to the drivers. And we felt it was the right move to put him in the best possible conditions to express his talents at the moment where we knew the pressure would be high, where we knew some thoughts can cross your mind and we wanted to reaffirm how much we were trusting and how much we were confident in his current and future progress with the team,” summed up Mekies.
Hadjar Only One to Get Tow to Tow with Verstappen After Ricciardo?
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 22: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Visa Cash App RB and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talk as they arrive in the Paddock prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 22, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202406220020 // Usage for editorial use only //Indeed. It is not often for Red Bull to confirm its second driver early in the year and with Hadjar, despite the three races he missed, they confirmed him to continue for the 2027 F1 season. His results speak anyway and already in his first season, he has shown to be the best teammate to match Verstappen.
Despite the three races missed, Hadjar has 86 points with two podiums against his name, to be eighth in the F1 drivers’ standings. He is only two places behind Verstappen, who is sixth with 163 points. As things stand, Red Bull may have found the one who can succeed the Dutchman, if it ever happens.
Since the arrival of Verstappen at Red Bull, only Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez have managed to take on the Dutchman, more the Australian. There is no disrespect to the likes of Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, who raced at a time when the champion was unstoppable.