Isack Hadjar admits that he has doubts about having the same skills as Max Verstappen – but he would still be curious to see what goes on at Red Bull
You rarely hear statements like this from a Formula 1 driver. Isack Hadjar has admitted that he doesn’t know if he has the same talent as Max Verstappen. Normally, racing drivers exude self-confidence and believe that they can take on all other drivers, but at Red Bull, this assumption has already been shattered by many.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are two drivers who entered the cockpit at Red Bull this season with high expectations, but both crashed out. Hadjar wanted to avoid such a fate and stated that he did not feel ready for the jump to the A team – perhaps to put a stop to a premature change.
Ahead of the Formula 1 race in Austria, however, he goes one step further and doubts whether he can even compete with Verstappen. “Do I have Verstappen’s abilities? I don’t know. Not yet,” he says.
Mentally, however, he is ready to drive alongside the four-time world champion at Red Bull: “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s that,” he emphasizes. “The only question is: Do I have the skills? Mentally, I know I’m strong, so I’m not worried about that.”
The Frenchman is aware that he would have a tough time at Red Bull – just like his predecessors. “I don’t know,” he says when asked if he would do better than Yuki Tsunoda, whose performances since his promotion have not even come close to meeting Red Bull’s expectations.
But he doesn’t know why all the drivers are having problems either. “The only thing I can say is that Yuki is very fast,” says Hadjar, who was the Japanese driver’s teammate for two weekends.
Red Bull cockpit remains the goal
Out of curiosity, he would like to find out what is going on at Red Bull, which is why he says that Red Bull remains his goal, as it was when he signed his contract four years ago. “That hasn’t changed.”
However, joining at this point in time would be tantamount to suicide, so it would certainly be better for him to stay out of the cockpit in 2025 and then try again in 2026, when the cards will be reshuffled with new regulations.
He therefore says, not without self-interest: “At the moment, I’m not in a position where I have everything completely under control and score points every weekend. I still have a lot to learn. That’s why it makes more sense to stay where I am now – definitely.”
In any case, Verstappen would probably be a step too far for a rookie. “That would mean starting every weekend with a handicap,” Hadjar knows. “He gets into the rhythm right away and is very explosive. You have to constantly make up time. It would definitely be a different approach – something I’ve never experienced before.”
Racing Bulls want fifth place
Hadjar’s current focus is on Racing Bulls, who are having a successful season. The team is currently in sixth place with 36 points, but has its sights set on moving up one place to where Williams is currently sitting with 55 points. “That’s definitely the goal,” he says.
Austria was a successful weekend in that regard. While the competition failed to score any points, Liam Lawson picked up eight important points. “Last week was very good. We’re on the right track,“ praises Hadjar, who is nevertheless disappointed that he didn’t score any points himself.
Fifth place is definitely realistic for him. ”Of course, Alex [Albon] is a long way off in the drivers’ standings. But in the constructors’ standings, we’re working as a team of two – so we can go twice as fast,” says Hadjar.
