Red Bull highlight Isack Hadjar expectation ahead of 2026 switch

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has detailed the expectations it is placing on Isack Hadjar during the 2026 F1 season.

Hadjar will join the squad next year alongside Max Verstappen after enjoying a strong rookie campaign with Racing Bulls this year.

He was a frequent presence inside the top 10 and even bagged a maiden podium at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Mekies, who worked with Hadjar during the first half of the season before his own switch to Red Bull, hailed the impact the Frenchman has had on the F1 field.

“Isack has had an unbelievable first season,” Mekies told media including RacingNews365. 

“There is no doubt that in terms of starting point — so where he started in January — the starting point was outstanding. 

“Then we are strong believers not only in the raw talent, but also the ability of the drivers to develop. 

“We have seen so many champions developing through the years, doing things that they had not done in the car a few races before. 

“We've seen that with Isack this year too. We’ve seen him making stuff in the car that he was not doing three races before.”

Hadjar faces a tall task of attempting to be competitive at Red Bull alongside Verstappen, a duty several drivers have failed to live up to in recent years.

While Mekies insisted it has no set goal for Hadjar to reach in terms of on-track results, he highlighted that Red Bull's priority is to see him continue to show the growth that was a factor during the 2025 season.

“We expect — we would like him to continue on that path,” he said, “We don't see it as a landing point. 

“We see it as another start for him to continue to develop, to continue to impress us, to continue to surprise us. And you will expect that in the second year. 

“You will expect that in the third year, perhaps in the fourth year. So that's a little bit the journey for us together.”