Hill outlines the best Hadjar can hope for as Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate

For Isack Hadjar, a “pat on the head from Max Verstappen”, and Red Bull accepting that he did all he could to help the team, is the best that he can hope for.

That is the opinion of 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, who added that should Hadjar look to set out his stall clearly, that he is playing the team game with an eye on future championship aspirations, then it would remain to be seen how the Frenchman did that without “upsetting the apple cart” at Red Bull.

Isack Hadjar: The Red Bull second seat answer?

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Hadjar could be the driver to bring stability back to that second Red Bull seat as teammate to four-time World Champion Max Verstappen.

Speaking via the Stay on Track podcast, Hill said that Hadjar has “earned his position” at Red Bull, while co-star Johnny Herbert argued that “consistency” was a key strength of Hadjar’s in 2025, a rookie year with Racing Bulls during which he “surprised so many”, including Herbert himself.

Herbert also praised the “work ethic” of Hadjar, one that was to “keep on pushing” as he now gets his chance with the senior Red Bull team.

Herbert added: “He seemed to be able to be the one that was giving them the information that they needed to be able to produce what he was producing on the race track.

“Now, that’s a strength that he can take to Red Bull, for sure, but that’s exactly what Max is thinking in a much bigger way.”

Hill believes that Hadjar’s personality should make him a popular figure at Red Bull.

“What you’re talking about is his personality is a factor,” said Hill in response to Herbert. “You’re saying Isack Hadjar’s personality is engaging.

“I think the teams like to work with someone like that. He’s not a quiet little mouse. He’s someone who is expressive without being abusive.

“Some of his radio messages were a little bit fruity, but he probably didn’t expect everyone to listen to them.

“It’s that enthusiasm. When things go well, he’s showing the team how delighted he is, and then that infects them as well. They get a kick out of it too.”

But, Hill and Herbert agreed that the task goes up three levels for Hadjar as he steps up to Red Bull to partner Verstappen.

Verstappen has long since been regarded as the number one driver at Red Bull. The job for the second driver is to support Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship ambitions, and ensure that enough points are scored to bring the Constructors’ title to Milton Keynes.

Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda became the latest casualties in 2025, having struggled to impress.

Hill detailed the best-case scenario which he sees for Hadjar at Red Bull.

“He’s sort of going to be the whipping boy for the team, isn’t he?” Hill suggested.

“The best he can do is a pat on the head from Max, isn’t it? And the team sort of going, ‘You did all you could.’

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“He’s going to have to accept that in that team, Max rules, and he’s there as a supporting act, and it’s whether you can get your head around that as a competitor, because would Max do that? No.

“So in other words, are you World Championship material if you can accept coming number two? It has to be seen as, if he’s going to go and do this job at Red Bull, he’s going to have to say, ‘Okay, I’m here to strengthen myself, to learn, in order to be number one at some point somewhere.’

“But, how do you communicate that without upsetting the apple cart?”

Herbert added on Hadjar’s Red Bull chances: “Can he do it? Yes. Has he got to play the right game to be able to do it, probably not next year, in the next couple of years? I would say probably, yes.”

Hadjar has already adopted the mentality alluded to by Hill. He has arrived at Red Bull in acceptance of Verstappen’s superiority, knowing that it will be “very frustrating” initially, as he looks to build himself up with the senior Red Bull team.

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