Former IndyCar driver and current analyst James Hinchcliffe has raised concerns about Isack Hadjar's prospects at Red Bull Racing. The warning comes after teammate Max Verstappen made significant strides with the team's 2026 challenger, creating a noticeable performance gap.
According to Hinchcliffe, the break before the Miami Grand Prix allowed Red Bull engineers to implement crucial updates. These changes transformed Verstappen's experience from feeling like a passenger to being in full command of the machine. The car now responds precisely to his inputs, a development that has dramatically increased his advantage over Hadjar.
"Isack is still very young. This was just one difficult race weekend," Hinchcliffe acknowledged via F1oversteer. "Yes, it wasn't great, but it's not yet a trend. However, I do wonder if this is the beginning of something bigger, because Max, when he's happy with the car, is always capable of extracting more speed from it than anyone else."
The analyst emphasized that Verstappen's ability to push a compliant car beyond its perceived limits is what sets him apart. "Now that he's comfortable again and the car does exactly what he wants, he's once again capable of making it do things that seemingly no one else can," Hinchcliffe added.
This development places Hadjar in a challenging position. While the young Frenchman has shown promise, competing against a four-time world champion operating at peak confidence is a formidable task. The performance differential highlighted by Hinchcliffe suggests Hadjar will need to accelerate his adaptation to the RB21 machinery.
Red Bull's ability to quickly address Verstappen's feedback demonstrates the team's engineering prowess. However, it also underscores the immense pressure on Hadjar to match his teammate's pace and development curve throughout the remainder of the season.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.