Isack Hadjar warned over 'whipping boy' role at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar has been told he will be the “whipping boy” at Red Bull when he steps up to the squad alongside Max Verstappen this year.

A positive rookie season for the Frenchman resulted in a promotion to the Milton Keynes-based squad in place of a struggling Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda was the latest name to face significant challenges in the second Red Bull, joining a long list of predecessors who could not adapt.

Verstappen has been Red Bull's primary driver over the last handful of years, winning four F1 titles in the previous five seasons.

Speaking on the Stay On Track podcast, 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill stated that Hadjar can't expect that dynamic to change following his arrival.

“He’s going to be the whipping boy for the team, isn't he?” Hill said.

“The best he can do is a pat on the head from Max and the team going ‘you did all you could’.

“He’s going to have to accept that in that team, Max rules and he's there as a supporting act. It’s whether you can get your head around that as a competitor - because would Max do that? No.”

Hadjar will look to prove himself as a front-running driver in the season ahead and justify Red Bull's decision to promote him despite his inexperience.

However, Hill stated it will be difficult for the 21-year-old to prove his worth if he is resigned to being a number two driver.

“Are you world championship material if you can accept being number two?” Hill said.

“It has to be seen as if he's going to go and do this job, Red Bull, he's going to have to say ‘I'm here to strengthen myself to learn in order to be number one at some point somewhere’.

“But how do you, how do you communicate that without upsetting the apple cart?”