Not bad for a man still having pinch-me moments. Isack Hadjar has called his graduation from Racing Bulls to Red Bull a genuine culture shock, yet he sits eighth in the championship with 68 points and is reportedly closer to Max Verstappen than the four-time champion might prefer. Culture shock, sure. Crisis? Not remotely.
Italian Family to British Machine
Hadjar was refreshingly blunt about the transition on the Talking Bull podcast, describing the step up as a jarring shift in environment.
“That’s definitely a culture shock, let’s say. You go from more of a family team, an Italian team, to British. It’s definitely different.” – Isack Hadjar
Fair enough. Racing Bulls operates with a warmer, more relaxed atmosphere by all accounts, while Red Bull’s Milton Keynes operation is precision engineering wrapped in corporate polish. Different animals entirely.
Still, Hadjar was quick to stress this was nothing like Lewis Hamilton abandoning Mercedes for Ferrari mid-career. He has been embedded in the Red Bull junior pipeline since 2021, running FP1 sessions and junior tests, even driving Verstappen’s machinery at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His current race engineer, Richard “Woody” Wood, is someone he first worked with three years ago. The transition had been years in the making.
Blessed, But Not Surprised
When asked whether his performances have surprised him, Hadjar was direct: not really. Six consecutive top-six finishes in the first half of the season speaks for itself. He acknowledges the early rounds were messy, with technical gremlins and a self-inflicted error in Miami, but the trajectory since has been upward.
“I deserve to be there, but I’m blessed to be there as well.” – Isack Hadjar
That is a fine line to walk, confident without being arrogant, and Hadjar manages it well. His best result remains fourth in Monaco, where a podium briefly looked possible. He wants more, and he is not shy about saying so.
The Verstappen Problem
Verstappen remains the benchmark, naturally. Hadjar is clear-eyed about where the gap still exists.
“Max is especially impressive during races. The way he manages a Grand Prix is on another level. I’m still learning a lot from that.” – Isack Hadjar
The new 2026 regulations have at least levelled the field slightly. Hadjar believes Verstappen will adapt regardless, noting, “give him four wheels and he delivers.” Pragmatic, accurate, and perhaps a touch resigned.
Red Bull trails Mercedes and Ferrari significantly in the constructors’ standings, as our 2026 midseason report laid out in detail. Hadjar knows the car still lacks competitiveness at the sharp end, and he is demanding improvements. That kind of pressure from a rookie-year driver speaks well of him.
Still Climbing
The culture shock clearly did not last long. At 21, Hadjar is learning from arguably the best driver on the grid, in a team that built four consecutive championship cycles. Whether Red Bull can give him a car capable of fighting for podiums in the second half remains the real question. If they do, he looks ready to take full advantage.
