Isack Hadjar admits Red Bull 'doubts' after past second driver failures

Isack Hadjar has conceded that joining Red Bull as Max Verstappen's team-mate left him with "a few doubts," given the recent history of the team's second seat.

The Frenchman stepped into the RB22 for the current season aware of the challenges faced by those who came before him, in what has been dubbed the most difficult — and unforgiving — drive in F1.

After Daniel Ricciardo left the Milton Keynes-based squad at the end of 2018, Pierre Gasly lasted 12 races before being demoted midway through the following year.

Alex Albon was dropped after a season and a half, while Sergio Perez spent four years alongside Verstappen before being replaced despite helping Red Bull to constructors' championship success.

Liam Lawson managed only two grands prix before being sent back to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda also struggling to establish himself in the role.

With such a haunted history, Hadjar acknowledged that this record was "definitely" on his mind before the start of the campaign.

Asked whether the struggles of previous Red Bull drivers had affected his mindset, Hadjar was open about the pressure attached to the move.

"Obviously you come in, and you're aware of where you landed," the one-time podium finisher told media, including RacingNews365. "I definitely had a few doubts because it's Max; it's undeniable that he's great."

So far, however, he has produced a steady opening phase to life at Red Bull. Through 10 rounds, Hadjar sits eighth in the drivers' championship on 68 points, trailing Verstappen's 109 while keeping the deficit within a more competitive range than several of his predecessors managed.

His best result of fourth in Monaco came after he briefly stood on the podium before a post-race appeal reinstated Alpine's Gasly to third.

Ricciardo remains the only driver to have consistently challenged Verstappen over a sustained period at Red Bull, and since then, the second seat has often proved difficult to settle, with the four-time F1 drivers' champions' extreme driving style and car preferences setting the tone and development strategy, in turn laying down a demanding benchmark for his team-mates.

Hadjar pointed out that, therefore, those doubts were natural given the Dutchman's level and the scrutiny that comes with driving for Red Bull, but he also stressed that his adaptation has broadly matched his hopes.

"So, a bit of doubt, a bit of pressure, but so far it's been going pretty much like I wanted," the 21-year-old added. "But yeah, it was definitely on my mind."