Isack Hadjar breaks brutal Max Verstappen teammate trend after Red Bull make major decision

Red Bull have confirmed that they will be running with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar as their drivers in the 2027 Formula 1 season.

Verstappen signed a new contract in August, committing his future to Red Bull until 2030 despite intensifying speculation, and 21-year-old Hadjar has retained the second seat after an impressive start.

Hadjar has agreed a contract extension with the team, ending a sequence of drivers who've struggled to make a mark in the shadow of the four-time F1 world champion.

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Isack Hadjar has earned his wings with Red Bull

The young driver has won over Red Bull's leadership in his second season and he returns to the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend after missing the last three rounds with a wrist injury.

Despite his absence, Hadjar heads to Baku in eighth place in the world championship standings, two spots but 74 points behind his more experienced teammate.

After spending the 2025 season with the Racing Bulls team, Hadjar stepped up to the Red Bull seat ahead of the 2026 season and has produced a very consistent set of results.

He was forced out of the season opener in Melbourne and crossed the line outside the top 10 in Japan, but secured a second career podium in June's Monaco GP and has otherwise registered two fifth-placed finishes, four in sixth and one in eighth.

Committing to the French driver was the most obviously sensible decision for Red Bull after they secured Verstappen in the top seat for the next four seasons.

"Since joining us at the start of the year, he has been superb on and off track, especially considering this is only his second Formula 1 season, which made extending his contract an easy decision," Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies told Sky.

"You could see from that first weekend in Melbourne that he handled the step up with remarkable composure and had earned his place in this seat."

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Max Verstappen's teammates haven't always found their place

"The second Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen is widely regarded as the toughest on the F1 grid after several drivers including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda all struggled against the Dutchman," according to Sky Sports.

Verstappen succeeded Daniil Kvyat to race alongside Daniel Ricciardo four races into the 2016 season and has been a Red Bull fixture ever since.

Gasly took over the second seat when Verstappen inherited top spot from Ricciardo but was dropped for Albon after 12 races.

The Thai driver was also moved aside at the end of the 2020 season, while Lawson lasted two races at the start of 2025 and was replaced by Tsunoda for the rest of the season.

Mexico's Sergio Perez was an exception to the rule. He was Verstappen's teammate between 2021 and 2024, winning five races and twice finishing in the top three in the world championship standings.

Perez returned to the grid with Cadillac at the start of the current season.

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