Max Verstappen hasn’t had a teammate capable of challenging him at Red Bull for nearly seven years since Daniel Ricciardo left the team in 2018.
His most recent accomplice, Yuki Tsunoda, just cannot seem to extract any performance out of his car and lies 15th in the drivers’ championship. It’s pretty clear that Red Bull’s machine just isn’t suited to anyone other than the current four-time champion.
Verstappen’s hopes of a fifth consecutive title are slim due to McLaren’s big advantage. The recent Spanish Grand Prix technical directive didn’t really seem to suit anyone, and if anything, the Woking-based outfit looked stronger.
Red Bull made one Verstappen decision in ‘panic’ in Spain and it cost them a podium finish. Losing 14 points as they did is not the way to go about winning the title and they know that. Their attention may be turning to 2026 already.
However, they do have a little more hope than before now. Red Bull found something that will make Verstappen’s life much ‘easier’ with the recent rule change. Their car appears to have a wider setup window, making it faster than it has ever been.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko reveals ‘exactly’ what Max Verstappen’s Red Bull data said about his clash with George Russell
David Croft says Isack Hadjar isn’t ‘ready’ for Red Bull despite being ‘very similar’ to Max Verstappen
After a rocket start to his rookie Formula 1 season, ‘nobody was expecting’ Isack Hadjar to be so good. He has been the second-best Red Bull contracted driver this season by some margin, and is flying during qualifying as well.
At the age of 20, he’s still very raw, but the talent is clearly there. His response to crashing out before the start of his debut in Australia said a lot about his character.
But promoting him to be alongside Verstappen this soon would be a mistake, given the evidence of those who have fallen before him. The Formula 1 driver market is going to be interesting this summer, and focusing on a 2026 role with a new car may be a better idea.
Sky Sports F1’s David Croft revealed what Racing Bulls think about Hadjar’s driving style, and whether he thinks it’s too soon for him to be promoted too.
“There is one driver who Racing Bulls think has a very similar style to Max Verstappen,” he said.
“I don’t think he’s ready yet and as you say Yuki Tsunoda is going nowhere this season, but is Isack Hadjar the answer to their problems?”
READ MORE: Red Bull warned off Isack Hadjar decision that’s ‘not necessary’ despite being ‘hundred times better’ than Yuki Tsunoda
Is promoting Isack Hadjar to Red Bull the right move for 2026?
Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull with little race experience and failed to make Q2 in three separate qualifying appearances (including one sprint session).
It serves as an example of why leaving Hadjar in the same, stable setup for the whole year may actually help him in 2026 and beyond. Throwing in more variables, such as a new car and being the teammate of the current champion, might just break his momentum.
Hadjar is Red Bull’s ‘hottest candidate’ to replace Tsunoda, and there’s only going to be so many poor weekends that they can take from the Japanese driver.
There are other drivers waiting in the wings for opportunities, too, such as Arvid Lindblad, who sits third in the Formula 2 standings.
With Honda’s partnership with Red Bull ending, Tsunoda is likely to be the man pushed out as Lindblad moves up. Whether or not that’s for 2026 is unknown yet, but he has a great chance if he continues to impress.
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