Young Gun Isack Hadjar Sets Sights on Red Bull’s Elite Ranks

Despite the challenges faced by Max Verstappen’s teammates, Isack Hadjar remains undeterred in his quest to race alongside the reigning Formula 1 world champion. After a promising start to the season, the French rookie is eager to prove his mettle and secure a coveted seat at Red Bull Racing.

The Struggles of Red Bull’s Junior Drivers

Last year, Sergio Perez faced numerous struggles, leading to Liam Lawson being demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races for the senior team. In their place stepped Yuki Tsunoda. Meanwhile, Hadjar has been making steady progress at the past two grands prix, despite a crash on his F1 debut before the Australian Grand Prix.

Despite the Red Bull drivers’ switch, Hadjar remains focused on his goal. “Honestly, now that it seems like it’s really hard to be next to Max, it makes me want to go even more, to find out why, what’s going on,” he said. “That’s still the main target.

Hadjar is aware of the need to continue delivering strong performances, but the pressure only serves to fuel his determination. “It’s not like I don’t need to work anymore, you know. Still, I always put the pressure on me to keep delivering,” he added.

The Battle for Red Bull Supremacy

Behind Verstappen, Hadjar is the highest-scoring driver in the Red Bull stable across the three races and one sprint so far this season. However, he admits that Yuki Tsunoda’s results at Racing Bulls were “not fair.

Tsunoda’s task, starting at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, is to get more out of the Red Bull than Lawson managed in his two races for the senior squad before returning to Racing Bulls. The car is generally considered easier to drive compared to the Red Bull, but Lawson believes that it takes time to adapt.

I think it’s probably a fair thing to say. It’s definitely a bigger window, easier to drive, but I think that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Red Bull is just undriveable. It just maybe takes a bit more time to get that comfort in it,” explained Lawson.

Lawson also believes that the Racing Bulls car is not significantly different from last year, making the adjustment back from what he was driving at the start of this season a challenge. However, he feels good about his progress and is confident about the weekend ahead.