Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently revealed an Ayrton Senna-like attribute that Isack Hadjar possesses, which helped convince the team to sign him for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Frenchman was announced on Tuesday as Max Verstappen’s team-mate at the Milton Keynes-based squad next year, ending months of speculation.
Hadjar has shown an abundance of talent and maturity beyond his years in his debut season, sitting 10th in the Drivers’ Championship for its satellite outfit Racing Bulls.
12 of the circuits on the calendar have been new to Hadjar, but has appeared to show that he is unfazed by a new challenge and overcomes them quickly.
This was something observed by Marko, when speaking on a recent edition of F1’s ‘Beyond the Grid’ podcast.
“Yes,” said Marko, when asked if Hadjar has the characteristics to become a World Champion. “Simple example. Most of the circuits are new for him, and after three laps, he’s competitive.
“I followed Michael Schumacher very closely, and also Senna – they all had it: they didn’t need 15 laps or how many tests. They come, boof, and they are there.”
On particularly tricky circuits that have been alien to him, Hadjar has managed to excel, further enhancing the 21-year-old’s reputation as a future star.
At Suzuka, just his third Grand Prix – and weeks after his formation lap crash on his debut in Australia – Hadjar finished eighth.
In Sao Paulo last month, he went toe-to-toe with team-mate Liam Lawson at Interlagos, demonstrating no sense of fear of the bumpy, anti-clockwise and weather-altering Sao Paulo circuit to finish, again, in eighth.
And in Las Vegas, Hadjar qualified eighth in wretched conditions, finishing ultimately in sixth place, on a circuit that is uncompromising in places, and with the outlier nature of being uncharacterisitcally cold.
There is no doubt that Hadjar’s adaptation to such circuits has contributed to Marko, and the team’s belief, that he has what it takes to master the much-maligned second Red Bull seat.
READ MORE – Can Isack Hadjar be the one to survive Red Bull chopping block?
Discussion about this post