Isack Hadjar handed Max Verstappen comparison: 'It's all he's worried about'

Isack Hadjar has been favourably compared to new team-mate Max Verstappen ahead of joining forces with the four-time Formula 1 champion this season at Red Bull.

Following a strong debut campaign with Racing Bulls, for which Hadjar earned plaudits throughout the paddock, he was rewarded with the ultimate prize of a promotion to Red Bull as the team's management decided to drop Yuki Tsunoda.

The 21-year-old now faces a stringent test of his racing credentials in going up against Verstappen, who has previously given no quarter to his team-mates over the past decade, as Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and Tsunoda will all testify.

Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer, however, can see elements of Verstappen in Hadjar, which he feels will stand the French-Algerian driver in good stead when the two drivers unite at Red Bull over the coming months.

Bayer was fortunate to work closely with Hadjar throughout the course of last season, watching him emerge from the horror of his formation lap crash in the season-opening grand prix in Australia into a driver clearly blessed with talent, and possessing similar traits to Verstappen.

"He's one of the hardest-working drivers I've seen, and he's dedicated," said Bayer, speaking in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365 at the end of last season. "He moved to Faenza to be close to the engineers.

"Sometimes, and I know we shouldn't compare, but honestly, he does remind me of Max, in some respects. He walks in with his shorts, his team kit, and all he's worried about is that he wants to go racing.

"He does an FP1 session, and after FP1, he will say, 'You know what, Peter, I want to go straight into qualifying. I can't wait to go racing'. And that's Isack.

"That's his world. It's about racing, about working hard, being focused."

Appreciating the "ups and downs" that Hadjar endured last season, Bayer highlighted further qualities akin to Verstappen.

"I'm glad he did have those," added Bayer. ""He would not be human if he'd not had his moments, but globally, his trajectory was impressive. He kept it together - hungry, focused, disciplined."