Mekies shares why Red Bull are ‘convinced’ by Hadjar's 'mega' potential
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies has elaborated on why they chose Isack Hadjar to partner Max Verstappen for the 2026 season.
Laurent Mekies is adamant that Isack Hadjar’s potential is "mega", with the Red Bull Team Principal heaping praise on the youngster’s “maximum intensity” approach to his pre-season training.
It was announced ahead of last season’s finale that Hadjar would partner four-time World Champion Max Verstappen at the senior Red Bull team for 2026, replacing Yuki Tsunoda who has stepped back into a reserve driver role. At sister team Racing Bulls – where Hadjar originally caught the eye – lone rookie Arvid Lindblad will join forces with Liam Lawson.
The second seat at the team has presented a unique challenge since Verstappen became their lead driver, with both Lawson and Tsunoda struggling to match his performances in 2025 in their time alongside him as team mate.
Prior to last year, the likes of Sergio Perez, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly also failed to live up to the Dutchman's performance levels in the second Red Bull car.
However, the Milton Keynes-based squad are hopeful that Hadjar will be able to deliver, especially with the major change in regulations for 2026 that will see an overhaul in the power units and aerodynamics of the car.
Asked how the team will protect Hadjar from the scrutiny of performing alongside Verstappen at the recent Autosport Business Exchange, Mekies said: "We are not hiding behind the fact that we need to do a better job with that second car, and that includes the second part of last year.
"Yes, we made some progress with Yuki, but not at the level that we felt we should have reached, so we are aware that we need to do a better job there. There is no easy solution. It's a complex equation that we approach as such. Now, I think Isack comes with incredible raw speed.
“We think the level at which he started last year, his starting speed was outstanding – at the level of the very best. But then we equally believe that the big guys, the champions – not only do they have an incredible starting point, but they progress.
“It's not only progressing with maturity or with your dialogues with the engineers, they actually go faster. We have seen that with Isack last year at Racing Bulls, so we are convinced that the potential is mega.”
After a rough start saw him crash on the formation lap at the Australian Grand Prix, the Frenchman quickly found his rhythm, achieving a podium at Zandvoort and becoming a regular in Q3.
That momentum could prove to be crucial this season as all 22 drivers must adapt to the new cars as fast as possible – something which Mekies is confident Hadjar’s pre-season routines will help with.
"I guess in some respects, the fact that everything's changed in 2026, he's also been given a reset about how you go about extracting as much as you can from the car,” the Team Principal said.
"He has been taking it from day one with maximum intensity. He has moved to London. He’s on the sim as we speak and is there quite a few days each week.
“He's fully aware of the challenge. He has his feet on the ground. He's a very humble guy, and we are going to support him 360 [degrees] to make sure that he can express his talent in that car."
Next Up
F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube
© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited
