Isack Hadjar is primed to make his switch from Racing Bulls to the lead Red Bull team in Formula 1 next year, but it expects one specific improvement from the Frenchman.
Hadjar excelled in his debut F1 season in 2025, amassing 51 points to finish 12th in the Drivers’ Championship with the Faenza-based squad.
His performances led to summertime speculation that he would be handed a promotion within the Red Bull family for 2026 alongside Max Verstappen.
And this was confirmed shortly before the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi, completing an already impressive year for the 21-year-old.
The second seat at Red Bull is coveted but equally comes with a significant amount of weight, given the drivers who have quickly come and gone in it previously.
Hadjar has been deemed worthy of the task, but, according to outgoing advisor Helmut Marko, there is one specific aspect Hadjar must rid himself of ahead of next year.
“From his side, the only thing we have to blame is that he has to control his emotions,” he said.
Marko jokingly added: “The steering wheel has no fault, I would say,” referencing Hadjar’s tendency to hitting it when frustrated.
Hadjar sets high bar ahead of Red Bull debut
Hadjar is all too aware of his more emotional sides. When speaking to select media including Motorsport Week at the Yas Marina Circuit, he noted his perfectionism has often led to errors.
“If anything, I just noticed this year that I have my expectations, and what I was willing to do was sometimes too high for the abilities I have at the moment,” he said.
“In qualifying, I’m always mad because I didn’t get the perfect lap. I didn’t maximise every corner, every braking, and there’s always something missing.
“At the same time, it’s just my first year. So if anything, I was maybe being too hard and leading to some mistakes at times because I put myself so much pressure to deliver and being at the standards I want to. It leads to mistakes.”
When asked if this is a new characteristic since becoming an F1 driver, Hadjar said: “No, it’s always been like this. You’ll never catch me with a smile if I didn’t do the job.
“Even if the result is incredible, if the job is not done properly, then I’m not interested.”
READ MORE – Isack Hadjar identifies ‘annoying’ downside he faces as a Red Bull F1 driver
Discussion about this post