Hadjar hails Verstappen as Red Bull benchmark
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 1, 2026
Hadjar on Verstappen
Isack Hadjar saw Max Verstappen as the standard that would shape his Red Bull career. The 22-year-old driver said he felt “very, very lucky” to have Verstappen as his benchmark and called the Dutch driver a source of information that no other driver could provide. Hadjar said Verstappen’s biggest strength was consistency. He added that driving alongside Verstappen at Red Bull ranked among Formula 1’s toughest assignments, but he also framed it as a major opportunity to develop. Hadjar said the chance to watch how Verstappen handled the small details gave him a reference point to follow, and he described Verstappen as “the prime of the prime.” The comments came on the Beyond the Grid podcast, where Hadjar talked about what it meant to share a garage with the driver he viewed as his benchmark.
Hadjar did more than praise Verstappen’s talent. He laid out the standard he wanted to reach himself. He said he was learning from the way Verstappen put together every part of a weekend and said that level of execution separated front-runners from drivers farther back. Hadjar said he believed he could become a regular front-runner by matching the small details Verstappen did well. Hadjar said his next step was to put every part of a weekend together more consistently so he could fight at the front more often. He did not see Verstappen as a distant example. He saw him as a daily reference point that could aid his own development.
Hadjar’s 2025 rise
Hadjar’s confidence came from a breakthrough 2025 season that pushed him into Red Bull’s plans. He earned his promotion after a breakthrough campaign. Hadjar scored podium finishes at Zandvoort, Monaco and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan result came after he missed three races with a wrist injury. Red Bull had also confirmed him for 2027.
That rise explained why Hadjar spoke with belief about the next stage of his career. His 2025 campaign gave him a case for greater responsibility and made his comments about Verstappen more than admiration from a teammate. They sounded like the view of a driver who knew how high the bar was and wanted to close the gap to it.
Red Bull backing
Hadjar said Verstappen had been very kind to him after he joined Red Bull. He also noted that Verstappen was supportive before, during and after Liam Lawson’s troubled stint at the team. Hadjar was stepping into a place where Verstappen was the benchmark, and he said driving alongside him was both a difficult assignment and a chance to develop. With a confirmed seat for 2027 and a breakthrough season behind him, Hadjar said he wanted to turn strong weekends into a habit and become a front-running driver more often.
