Isack Hadjar is on the verge of receiving a significant promotion from Visa Cash App RB to Red Bull’s senior Formula 1 team for 2026.
Although there has been no confirmation yet, he’s the most obvious candidate to become Max Verstappen’s latest challenge heading into the 2026 F1 regulations. After years of searching, Red Bull have been unable to find a long-term solution for their second driver woes.
The answer may lie in Hadjar, who became the first driver since Sebastian Vettel to score a podium for Visa Cash App RB in his first full-time season in Formula 1. Impressively, he lies ninth in the drivers’ championship, and has been much faster than ex-teammate (of two races) Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull’s 2026 driver line-up choice is obvious after Tsunoda’s woes, and it’s clear that he probably needs more time to find some speed in the seat. The main problem is whether the team feels that they have time to wait. Helmut Marko will love Isack Hadjar’s stance on team orders, and it could make him an even more attractive option.
READ MORE: Isack Hadjar reveals why it would be ‘impossible’ for him to be Lewis Hamilton’s F1 teammate
Isack Hadjar snubs Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost from his top five F1 drivers of all time list
Laurent Mekies wants to make his mark with a bold Red Bull driver call, as he looks to build the team back into championship contenders. Since the start of 2024, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has seen their advantage at the top dwindle, and at some races now, they can’t even compete to win.
A recent floor upgrade helped Verstappen to victories in Baku and Monza, but they’re still going to have to find more if they’re going to compete over a 24-race season in 2026. There’s a lot more potential in their second car, which is where Hadjar might come in.
Speaking about his top five drivers of all time, he shockingly snubbed Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost.
“It’s hard to [assess], like in all sports,” he said. “It’s not even done to compare. From his generation, Hamilton. There’s no comparison. I can give you five greats, like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and now I put Max [Verstappen] in.
“And you know, I don’t know. I could take [what happened before], that’s what happened in the 1960s, 50s. I don’t even have a video, anything, but there was [Juan Manuel] Fangio, a five-time F1 world champion. So I’d put him in the top five.”
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Is Isack Hadjar ready to be promoted to Red Bull yet?
Looking at other drivers promoted to Red Bull recently, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Liam Lawson all spent no more than a season at the junior team before being promoted.
With Hadjar, it would be a similar case. It does pose some interesting questions about whether it may be too soon to destabilise his environment.
At the age of 21, he has a long career ahead of him. Continuing his development at Visa Cash App RB with less pressure on his shoulders wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Hadjar’s racing attitude is ‘very important’ and is something that Verstappen admires. But, he wouldn’t want to face the same fate as so many others have against the four-time champion.
It would leave Red Bull to rush to find a replacement in the last few months of the year, but they wouldn’t be short of calls for one of the most coveted seats in the sport.