Isack Hadjar has expressed a burning desire to join forces with Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
The young talent’s ambition comes as no surprise to Formula 1 insiders, given his impressive performances and relentless drive.
Over the past seven years, Red Bull have cycled through five different teammates for Verstappen, with the latest being Yuki Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver earned a surprise promotion from Racing Bulls ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, replacing Liam Lawson, who returned to the junior squad after a lackluster start to the 2025 season.
Despite the shake-up, Red Bull’s results in Japan highlighted their familiar reliance on Verstappen. The four-time world champion clinched a celebrated victory, while Tsunoda could only manage 12th, leaving Verstappen as the team’s sole points-scorer.
Hadjar, meanwhile, shone in Japan, finishing eighth to claim his first F1 points and trailing only Verstappen among the Red Bull family drivers.
The Racing Bulls standout has caught the paddock’s attention with his blistering single-lap pace, even though a formation lap crash in Australia briefly dented his momentum. Undeterred, Hadjar sees a future at Red Bull as the ultimate test.
“Honestly, it seems like it’s really hard to be next to Max,” Hadjar said to the media. “But it makes me want to go there even more, to find out why. What’s going on. That’s still the main target.”
Having shared virtual tracks with Verstappen in sim racing, Hadjar has already glimpsed the 27-year-old’s formidable speed. “He’s very fast,” Hadjar admitted, a sentiment echoed by the long list of drivers who have struggled to match Verstappen’s relentless consistency and racecraft at Red Bull.
Hadjar’s recovery from his Melbourne mishap has been notable, and his goals remain razor-sharp. “My target would be if the car can finish in ninth or eighth, I want to be there to maximise it,” he said.
“Not being outside the top 10. If the car deserves the top 10, then I need to be on it.”
As the 2025 season rolls on, all eyes will be on the Bahrain Grand Prix, set for Sunday, 13 April. Teams will tackle 57 laps of the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, where Hadjar and Racing Bulls aim to build on their early promise—and perhaps edge closer to that coveted Red Bull seat.
