Isack Hadjar said he’s “ready” to step up to Red Bull if the Milton Keynes-based Formula 1 outfit were to make the call.
Hadjar’s Racing Bulls team-mate was changed after just two Grands Prix, with the rookie now lining up alongside Liam Lawson after the New Zealander was swapped with Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has claimed Tsunoda will remain with Red Bull for the remainder of the season, but given how trigger-happy the team is with drivers, a future swap in 2025 isn’t entirely out of the question.
Should Red Bull deem it necessary to drop a new driver alongside Max Verstappen, rookie Hadjar could well be called upon, and he admitted that he’d accept the challenge with little hesitation.
“Of course [I would], it’s Red Bull right, the big team,” Hadjar told Sky Sports.
“It’s a huge challenge, I’m not really planning on it at the moment, I’m just trying to do the best with what I have.
“But if I get the call, of course, I would say I’m ready, even if I’m not, I’d say I’m ready.”
Speaking to select media, including Motorsport Week, Hadjar responded to probing on whether there’s a chance he’d be able to stake a claim for a Red Bull seat in 2026.
“In the Red Bull family, it’s all about performance,” he responded.
“The guy who’s performing at the moment has a higher chance of getting the Red Bull seat next to Max.
“I think it’s so clear and so obvious. Once you don’t perform anymore or you’re struggling, then it becomes more difficult.”
Hadjar unfazed by changing Racing Bulls dynamic
Given Hadjar has lost an experienced team-mate in Tsunoda and now has to square up against a young Lawson eager to prove himself once more, one could be forgiven that the dynamic at Racing Bulls has changed.
Hadjar, however, is unfazed.
“I think we’re going to work just fine together,” he said.
“I just focus on what I’m doing. I don’t need anyone special alongside to push myself to drive as fast as I can.
“I just know Liam is great to work with.”
Both Verstappen and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner argued that Lawson would fare better in the more compliant VCARB 02 machine.
With that being said, Sky reporter Ted Kravitz asked if Hadjar had an opinion on comparing the respective Red Bull and Racing Bulls machines.
“I don’t have much experience to compare both,” he said.
“I drove the Red Bull last year in Abu Dhabi, a whole day, I was jumping from F2 to F1.
“It felt amazing, for me, because you’re not pushing the thing to the limit.
“So I don’t really have any idea but what I can say is my car is comfortable to drive.”
READ MORE – Racing Bulls advised Red Bull that Liam Lawson was prepared to make step up
