Red Bull's Future: Will Hadjar Join the 2026 Lineup?
Jul.7 -Â Dr Helmut Marko is yet to discuss his next plans for Isack Hadjar with the highly impressive 20-year-old Formula 1 rookie.
Hadjar arrived in the paddock this year not only with highly-rated skills, but a strong pedigree - with his father Yassine a respected PhD and senior researcher in quantum physics.
"I'm under a lot more pressure," French-Algerian Hadjar smiled to Bild newspaper.
"My father's job is more complex because it's the hardest in the world, but he can afford to make mistakes and correct them. That's not possible in Formula 1.
"With me, the risk is always part of the equation - which my parents don't approve of very much."
As for his mother, Randa Hadjar may not fully approve, but she is extremely supportive and serves as Isack's manager. "She's even more involved this year," Hadjar revealed.
"She's my boss, both personally and professionally. Of course, I've followed her advice for a long time, but now I'm doing the same in Formula 1. She's with me at 75 percent of the races.
"We make a good duo."
That duo could move up from Red Bull's junior outfit, Racing Bulls, to the big league at Red Bull Racing next year, given how much Yuki Tsunoda is struggling next to Max Verstappen at present.
Team advisor Marko, 82, hasn't particularly hidden that Hadjar is the favourite for 2026.
"I don't bother with the rumour mill," Hadjar said. "If you're not fully focused on the moment, you won't be part of these speculations for long. Because only successful drivers are associated with the top teams.
"Of course, I notice what's being written in the media, but that doesn't give me any sense of satisfaction or validation. To be honest, it actually annoys me."
Some think Hadjar - or any driver - should actually try to avoid the cockpit alongside Verstappen like the plague, given how the quadruple world champion has become known as a career killer.
Hadjar, however, sounds open to the challenge.
"Every young driver at the Red Bull academy wants to make the jump to Formula 1 and then to Red Bull Racing," he said. "I'm no exception. I'm not in Formula 1 just to be there. I want to achieve the maximum here.
"If they'd given me a McLaren, I would have been confident enough to say I wanted to become the first rookie ever to become world champion. And becoming champion is more realistic when you're driving for one of the top teams."
But when asked if Marko has raised the subject of 2026 yet, Hadjar shook his head.
"He is satisfied with my performance and we talk, but not about this topic," he said.
13 F1 Fan comments on “Red Bull's Future: Will Hadjar Join the 2026 Lineup?”
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Just how many times can Tsunsoda finish last before RB realise their mistake.
p.s. Give Lindbald every opportunity in Practice and may be a one off drive because they can do no worse.
I think so, but I didn't know that being PhD & senior researcher in quantum physics is the hardest job in the world.
Give Hadjar another year to develop and bring Mick in. Cadillac should hire Mick, too, as should Alpine. Unfortunately, Mick can only be in so many places at once, so the other teams will have to remain Mickless.
I dont thinking any team is taking the Mick
Indeed. He doesn't bring anything, performance or external factor-wise, that a few other drivers couldn't, especially after a lengthy period away from F1 racing, not to mention a handful of teams have overlooked him for a full-time drive at least once each, so tough luck to him.
Perhaps someone is taking the Mick with the stories about driver movements, even with those that do not involve the mighty Schumacher junior? Pérez and Bottas must be in pole position for a spot with Cadillac, but I don't think they will take both of them unless they decide against a younger option. They may not even have first choice of those drivers, as Alpine might be more interesting to the top two.
Bottas is the pick of these two men. He might be making his mind up. Cadillac might slightly favour Pérez, though, as he is already known and popular in America. Either would be good for the project.
Magnussen was at the British GP. I think he would be a good third option. Like Bottas, he can qualify well; like Pérez, he can fight like hell when defending. He may still not want to return and there might not be the space for him.
Cadillac might have to wait to see what happens with Alpine before filling seat number one.
For seat number two, they may be keeping an eye on Herta. Will he be eligible, or even worth the punt if he can drive? If they don't find a suitable young driver, then Mick would be more marketable in the US. In the absence of an all-American, I think Zhou's nationality might count against him. Mick being the son of one of the greatest drivers is appealing.
So, Pérez as Brad Pitt and Mick Schumacher as Damson Idris? The canny American old dog imparting his all-American wisdom to the next generation? At what may be the beginning of another cold war, it is not time for Zhou to take the part of the younger driver. This is unfortunate for him as he seems a decent chap, is likeable and has shown himself to be a safe pair of hands, if unexciting and not particularly quick. I suggest that if Zhou was under pressure to show some speed, he would have crashed more often. I think Mick is the better driver. He is also a patient young man, a good team player and would be good for a project like this. Perhaps himself and Zhou share this, however.
I already was taking the Mick
Yes, I liked your turn of phrase almost as much as the idea of Mick driving for all three of these teams at once!
If the Schumacher name was still appealing, at least one existing team would've offered him a full-time drive at some point & I don't think nationality is against Zhou anymore, not to mention he's still strongly backed & has strong geographical marketability.
All in all, I still think Cadillac should maximize available F1 racing experience for their first season as a start-up team, coinciding with considerably technical regulations, albeit I just read a report that many people in the paddock believe Zhou will get hired, which would mean either Perez or Bottas alongside, given Zhou doesn't have massive F1 racing experience, so a full rookie or another one with limited, not to mention even lesser experience would be unideal.
Between Perez & Bottas, the former probably has the upper hand thanks to Carlos Slim sponsors & high marketability for Latin America unless he declines, since he's said he'll only return if he finds any project interesting & motivating, which isn't a given regarding Cadillac.
Yes, Magnussen attended the British GP as Sauber's guest (coincidentally or not), but he said earlier this year that he's done with racing in F1 for good this time around & a top team offer is probably the only way he'd change his mind.
I'm not sure what the Pérez-Bottas hold up is. I imagine that Alpine would prefer Bottas, while Cadillac would prefer Pérez as you say. Perhaps there are other teams involved or one of them has been signed already? I'm guessing that both will not be available to Cadillac, and I know that Mick is on the list, but that it's a long list. He may be near the bottom of it, but if he has gotten a test, then perhaps his chances are less close to nil? We'll see. If he doesn't get the place based on testing results then fine. I think his backing certainly doesn't recommend him in comparison to others, but if they have Pérez, they won't need another driver with lucrative backing.
If Perez is interested in the Cadillac project, they indeed wouldn't need two strongly sponsor-backed drivers simultaneously, but this doesn't mean they couldn't do so & my reference about many people in the paddock believing that Zhou will get hired is based on an article on F1 Oversteer I read earlier today, albeit I'm always reserved with third-party speculation, especially if the source is unclear.
To my knowledge, Mick hasn't had any tests, nor could anyone else do a test for Cadillac either, since they don't have a single F1 car yet.
I can't really dispute any of this. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I may have to set up my own three teams and hire Mick to drive for each of them at the same time. Only one car per team, though. Mick may be a miracle-worker, but even he has his limits!
Why on earth would any team consider Mick when there are so many better alternatives available in F2 and in F1 reserves!