Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull Dilemma: Eager Yet Unready for F1’s Big Stage
You know, watching Isack Hadjar’s rise through the F1 ranks this season has been genuinely impressive. From crashing out on the formation lap in Australia to now sitting ninth in the Drivers' Championship with multiple Q3 appearances and solid points finishes—this kid’s turnaround is the kind of stuff that grabs everyone's attention, especially Red Bull's.
But what’s really intriguing is Hadjar’s own reaction to the swirling speculation that he might get called up to the senior Red Bull team. He’s honest—refreshingly so. When asked in Montreal how he’d feel if he got that call to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, he admitted, “It’s a bit scary. I wouldn’t feel ready.” That’s not something you often hear from young drivers these days. Most of them would leap at the chance without blinking, but Hadjar? He’s grounded. He knows he’s only nine races into his F1 career and acknowledges how tough it’s been for even strong drivers like Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to step up and survive in that Red Bull pressure cooker.
At the same time, you can tell he’s curious—almost fascinated by the idea. He said, “I’d love to have a taste of what the highest level is like... there’s Max in the other car.” That says a lot about his mindset: aware of the challenge, respectful of the scale, yet quietly confident in his potential.
Laurent Mekies, team boss at Racing Bulls, clearly sees something special too. He’s described Hadjar as being in a “very important growth phase” but also emphasized that “a driver is always ready to get into a faster car.” That’s a sentiment echoed by Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, who went as far as calling him the most impressive rookie of 2025. And let’s be honest, that’s huge praise coming from Marko.
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But here’s the kicker—Hadjar might not even have a choice. That’s what makes this situation so compelling. Red Bull has shown in the past that they’re not shy about making bold, sometimes ruthless, lineup decisions. If Verstappen picks up a race ban (and he's one penalty point away), and if Tsunoda continues to underperform, Hadjar could be parachuted into that RB21 before he even has time to second-guess himself.
Even 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg weighed in, advising Hadjar to not rush the jump. That kind of caution from a former champ just shows how tough the Red Bull environment really is. But for Hadjar, the reality is that sometimes opportunity doesn’t knock—it barges in.
So where does that leave him? Well, in his own words, he’s happy where he’s at... for now . But he’s preparing, learning, absorbing everything he can at Racing Bulls. Because when that call does come—whether scary or not—he’ll want to be ready.
And honestly, if this is what Hadjar can do in his first nine races, I can’t wait to see what happens if he does get his shot at the big time.
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