Max Verstappen put on alert as Isack Hadjar tipped to be Red Bull’s most competitive team-mate yet
Max Verstappen may finally be facing his stiffest in-house challenge at Red Bull, with rising star Isack Hadjar being widely tipped to succeed where several of the Dutchman’s former team-mates have struggled.
Red Bull’s reputation for rapidly promoting — and just as quickly moving on from — young drivers is well established in Formula 1. Over recent seasons, the likes of Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were all given opportunities alongside Verstappen, only to fall short of the exceptionally high standards set by the reigning world champion.
Competing against Verstappen has proven to be one of the toughest tasks in modern F1. Not only is he regarded by many as the most complete driver on the grid, but Red Bull’s cars in recent years have increasingly evolved around his distinctive driving style — a factor that has complicated life for any new arrival.
Throughout the ground-effect era, Red Bull’s machinery has developed a reputation for being extremely sharp at the front end, allowing Verstappen to aggressively attack corner entries. While this setup delivers exceptional lap time in the right hands, it also creates rear-end instability and a tendency toward oversteer — characteristics that Verstappen is able to manage with remarkable precision.
For others, however, this balance has been far more difficult to master. Drivers such as Tsunoda and Lawson often struggled to find confidence in a car that demanded constant corrections and punished even minor errors. The result was a widening performance gap that made it difficult for them to establish themselves as long-term solutions at the senior team.
Hadjar’s promotion, however, comes at a uniquely different moment in Formula 1’s technical landscape. The 2026 season will usher in a complete overhaul of F1 regulations, introducing radically new cars and power units that will reset the competitive order across the grid.
That regulation reset could play directly into Hadjar’s hands.
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes the Frenchman’s timing may be crucial in determining his success at Red Bull. Speaking to Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, Steiner dismissed the idea that Hadjar is destined to suffer the same fate as his predecessors.
“I think Hadjar is a very strong racing driver,” Steiner said. “And on top of that, he benefits from the new regulations.”
Steiner explained that the fresh technical rules will effectively place both Verstappen and Hadjar on unfamiliar ground, eliminating the experience advantage Verstappen previously enjoyed over incoming team-mates.
“With the new cars, everyone starts from zero,” Steiner added. “Lawson and Tsunoda were thrown into a situation where Max already had a lot of experience with the car, and they simply couldn’t close that gap quickly enough.”
In previous seasons, Red Bull’s rivals were often separated by tiny margins, increasing the pressure on any driver who failed to extract immediate performance. According to Steiner, that environment left little room for adaptation — something Hadjar may now be spared.
“The field was incredibly close, so any weakness stood out,” he continued. “Hadjar has better conditions than those before him.”
Red Bull’s long-term objective, Steiner believes, is not necessarily to find a driver who can immediately defeat Verstappen, but one who can operate close enough to push the team forward strategically.
“The goal must be to identify a talent who can become almost as good as Max,” Steiner said.
Hadjar’s impressive rise through the junior ranks and his strong performances with Racing Bulls last season have earned him widespread praise within the paddock. At just 21 years old, he is seen as technically astute, mentally resilient, and capable of adapting quickly — qualities that will be essential as Formula 1 enters its next era.
While Verstappen remains the benchmark at Red Bull, the combination of Hadjar’s skillset and the 2026 rule reset has led some to suggest that the Dutch champion may finally face a team-mate capable of narrowing the gap.
Whether Hadjar can truly challenge Verstappen remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: this opportunity comes with conditions more favorable than any Red Bull newcomer has enjoyed in years — and that alone could make him Verstappen’s toughest internal rival yet.
