Isack Hadjar is happy with the collaboration with Max Verstappen. Although the two have only driven as teammates during the test days in Barcelona and Bahrain so far, the French-Algerian driver enjoys having the four-time world champion by his side. Nevertheless, the move to Red Bull is not huge according to Hadjar: ‘I am now working with engineers I have known for a while’.
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Isack Hadjar is a driver for Red Bull for the first time this season. The French-Algerian driver impressed during his debut year in the service of Racing Bulls, and is therefore already allowed to get behind the wheel of the RB22 in his second year. Hadjar thus succeeds the likes of Sergio Pérez and Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s teammate. So far, the French-Algerian driver is enjoying the collaboration very much.
‘Nice to have Max by my side’
“The collaboration with Max is going very well. He is very open and it is nice to have him by my side,” Hadjar tells the media. Although the driver is racing for Red Bull for the first time this year, the working environment is not completely unfamiliar to him. The Frenchman has been part of the Austrians’ training program since 2021. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m starting at a brand new team, to be honest. I have already driven several free practice sessions for them in 2023 and 2024. Therefore, I am now working with engineers I have known for a while. I have often done work in the simulator for them, so that made the transition much easier. It is also great to have Laurent (Mekies, ed.) as team principal.”
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Mekies was previously at the helm of Racing Bulls when Hadjar made his Formula 1 debut with the sister team in 2025. “Starting my second season with him as team principal is nice. It’s all going very smoothly so far, so I’m lucky with that.” The driver also immediately sets a goal for his first race as a permanent Red Bull driver in Melbourne. “The goal for Melbourne is to make optimal use of the knowledge gained, go back to the simulator, connect everything together and ensure that the direction we need to take is clear.”
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