Isack Hadjar ends tough streak of Max Verstappen’s teammates as Red Bull makes big move
Red Bull has confirmed that Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will be their drivers for the 2027 Formula 1 season. Verstappen signed a new deal in August, keeping him with Red Bull until 2030, despite lots of rumors. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Hadjar has kept his spot after a strong start to his F1 career.
Hadjar signed a contract extension, putting an end to the team’s recent history of drivers struggling to shine alongside the four-time world champion Verstappen. The young driver has impressed Red Bull’s leaders in his second season and is ready to race again at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend after missing three races with a wrist injury.
Even though he was out for a bit, Hadjar is still eighth in the world standings—two places and 74 points behind his experienced teammate. After racing with the Racing Bulls team in 2025, he moved up to Red Bull’s main team in 2026 and has shown steady performance.
He couldn’t race at the season opener in Melbourne and finished outside the top 10 in Japan, but he earned his second podium in Monaco in June and has consistently finished in the top ten, with two fifth places, four sixth places, and one eighth place.
Choosing to keep Hadjar was an easy choice for Red Bull after locking Verstappen in for the next four years. “Since he joined at the start of the year, he’s been fantastic both on and off track, especially for just his second F1 season,” said Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies. “He handled the jump up like a pro from the very first weekend in Melbourne and definitely earned his seat.”
The second Red Bull seat next to Verstappen is known as one of the toughest on the F1 grid, since previous drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda all found it hard to keep pace with the Dutch star.
Verstappen joined Red Bull after Daniil Kvyat in 2016 and has stayed ever since. Gasly, Albon, Lawson, and Tsunoda all had their chances in the second seat but didn’t last long. The only exception was Sergio Perez, who raced alongside Verstappen from 2021 to 2024, winning five races and finishing in the top three in the world championship twice. Perez is now racing with Cadillac this season.