Isack Hadjar did not start his adventure at Red Bull very confidently. The French-Algerian driver has been Max Verstappen’s teammate since this season. However, Hadjar’s predecessors more often than not lost out to the four-time world champion. “Because of this, I definitely had some doubts, because we are talking about Max here,” Hadjar now says.
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Isack Hadjar has been Max Verstappen’s latest teammate since the start of the season. The French-Algerian driver was promoted to Red Bull after a successful debut year at sister team Racing Bulls. The icing on the cake was his first podium at Zandvoort: Hadjar then crossed the finish line in third place.
Previously, among others, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda preceded Hadjar as Verstappen’s teammates. Tsunoda had to make way for the French-Algerian driver after less than a season. His predecessors also crossed his mind before Hadjar stepped into the RB22 for the first time.
‘We are talking about Max’
“Of course, when I joined the team, I knew what I was getting into,” the driver told various media. “I definitely had some doubts, because we are talking about Max here. It cannot be denied that he is amazing. So there was definitely a bit of doubt, a bit of pressure, but so far it has gone almost exactly as I had hoped. But yes, it definitely crossed my mind.”
During the recent British GP, Hadjar even became the first teammate of Verstappen to qualify ahead of the Dutchman at Silverstone. Team principal Laurent Mekies had already expressed happiness with the driver’s performances. “It is good news that for the first time in a long time we have a strong second driver again,” said the Frenchman.
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Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
