Isack Hadjar shows strong form alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar is showing strong performance in his debut season alongside Max Verstappen. Data from Paceteq indicates that the 21-year-old Frenchman has maintained an average qualifying gap of 0.237 seconds behind Verstappen, a closer margin than many of his predecessors in the second seat.

Despite his progress, Hadjar noted that he is still improving and working to close specific gaps compared to the four-time world champion. While he has yet to secure a podium finish for Red Bull—having previously lost a podium trophy in Monaco following an Alpine protest—Hadjar expressed ambitions to compete directly with top teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.

Former Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas expressed confidence that Hadjar will achieve a podium finish later this year, predicting high performance for both Hadjar and Verstappen throughout the remainder of the 2026 season.