Red Bull provides clarity for 2027: Isack Hadjar to remain Max Verstappen’s team-mate – Team Principal Laurent Mekies explains the decision
Formula 1 team Red Bull has announced the contract extension with Isack Hadjar just ahead of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The Frenchman will remain with the team for a further year and is thus confirmed until the end of 2027. Red Bull will therefore continue to field Hadjar and Max Verstappen.
According to Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, it was an “easy decision” to extend Hadjar’s contract for a further year. His reasoning: “Since joining us at the start of the year, Isack has done an outstanding job both on and off the track – especially when you consider that this is only his second Formula 1 season.”
Hadjar’s dedication has particularly impressed Mekies: “He spends every possible minute with his engineers at the factory to further develop the car – and is always keen to learn and improve.”
Hand injury forces Hadjar to take a break
Recently, however, Hadjar has been forced to take a break: due to a hand injury, he has not raced since the Formula 1 summer break and will only return to his Red Bull cockpit this weekend in Baku.
This time out has been “difficult” for Hadjar, said Mekies. “But this contract extension shows just how much we believe in him, and we can’t wait to see him back on the track. We still want to achieve a great deal this season,” said the Red Bull team principal.
How Isack Hadjar reacted to the contract extension
Hadjar himself is also pleased with the contract extension: “When I joined the team eight months ago, I immediately understood the scale and ambition of this organisation. I realise what a privilege it is to drive for a team like this – especially alongside a four-time world champion like Max.”
He has therefore been “fully” committed to Red Bull, said Hadjar. “Every day, I try to listen, learn and keep improving. With the support of Laurent and all the staff in Milton Keynes, I’ve been able to live up to the trust they’ve placed in me. That makes me all the more excited about what lies ahead.”
Isack Hadjar’s record in the 2026 season
Having missed three race weekends, Hadjar has scored 71 points in the 2026 Formula 1 season – roughly half as many as his team-mate Verstappen. Whilst Verstappen has secured five podium finishes in the Red Bull RB22 so far, Hadjar has managed just one top-three finish – third place at the Formula 1 classic in Monaco. He currently sits eighth in the drivers’ standings, with Verstappen in sixth.
During his injury lay-off, Hadjar was replaced by Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, who finished in the points at two out of three race weekends and will return to Racing Bulls from Baku onwards. Lawson, in turn, was replaced at Racing Bulls by former Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda.