The news Hadjar needed before getting back in the car
Isack Hadjar hasn’t even climbed back into the car for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix yet, and he’s already settled the most important thing: he’ll continue with Red Bull Racing in 2027 as Max Verstappen’s teammate. The announcement came just days before his return to the track following the wrist injury that sidelined him for the last three races, and the timing couldn’t be better calculated in terms of the message it sends. Without saying it outright, the team is telling him they trust him regardless of how the recovery goes.
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That’s no small detail. In today’s Formula 1, where contracts are typically signed with immediate performance in mind, extending a driver who’s just missed three races through injury is a statement of confidence rarely seen.
What the team said
Red Bull’s official announcement was direct and to the point. Team Principal Laurent Mekies didn’t hold back on the praise: “We’re very excited to continue our journey with Isack. 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.”
Mekies went further, highlighting Hadjar’s commitment to the technical side of the job: “From the very beginning, Isack immersed himself in the Team, spending every minute at the factory with his engineers to develop the car.” That’s not the kind of comment made about just any driver, let alone one still in his second year in the category.
On Hadjar’s side, the response was equally clear: “I am really excited to continue with Oracle Red Bull Racing. I came to this Team eight months ago and immediately understood the scale and ambition of this organisation. I’m constantly looking to listen, learn and push myself further every single day, which only makes me more excited about what lies ahead.”
A 2026 season that justifies the decision
To understand why Red Bull didn’t hesitate, you have to look at the numbers. Hadjar entered this forced break eighth in the Drivers’ Championship with 71 points, on the back of seven consecutive top-six finishes. In between, two podium finishes: third in Zandvoort and third in Monaco. For a driver in his second season, who also took over Red Bull’s main seat from Yuki Tsunoda midway through 2026, that’s a level of consistency few expected.
It’s worth remembering the path that got him here. Hadjar joined Red Bull’s junior academy in 2022, competed in Formula 3 and then Formula 2, where he narrowly lost the 2024 title to Gabriel Bortoleto. He went from reserve to race driver at Racing Bulls for 2025, delivering a solid rookie campaign that opened the door to the main seat this year. The rise was fast, but every step was earned through results, not handed by default.
The injury that interrupted a run of form
The wrist injury that sidelined him for the last three races came at the worst possible time, right as Hadjar was in the best form of his season. During his absence, Liam Lawson took over the Red Bull seat while Yuki Tsunoda held things down at Racing Bulls, both delivering mixed results that, in a way, ended up underlining just how much Hadjar had been contributing to the team before the injury.
With the extension already signed, Hadjar returns to Baku without the added pressure of having to “prove” anything to secure his spot. He’s already secured it. The task now is simply to get back to the level that earned him that contract in the first place.
What’s still left to settle on the 2027 grid
With Red Bull’s lineup sorted, attention in the driver market shifts to the three teams still without a confirmed 2027 pairing: Aston Martin, Haas and Racing Bulls, each with two seats open. That’s where much of the future for drivers like Esteban Ocon who declared himself a free agent this same week or rising Formula 2 talents knocking on the door, will get decided.
But while that puzzle keeps taking shape across the rest of the grid, Red Bull already has its side settled: Verstappen and Hadjar, together, through 2027.
KEY QUOTES
- “We’re very excited to continue our journey with Isack. 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.” — Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Team Principal
- “From the very beginning, Isack immersed himself in the Team, spending every minute at the factory with his engineers to develop the car.” — Laurent Mekies
- “I am really excited to continue with Oracle Red Bull Racing. I came to this Team eight months ago and immediately understood the scale and ambition of this organisation.” — Isack Hadjar
- “I’m constantly looking to listen, learn and push myself further every single day, which only makes me more excited about what lies ahead.” — Isack Hadjar
CURIOSITIES / TRIVIA
- Isack Hadjar joined Red Bull’s junior driver academy back in 2022, meaning this new deal caps five years within the same driver development program.
- He narrowly lost the 2024 Formula 2 championship to Gabriel Bortoleto, yet still earned promotion to a race seat for 2025.
- Hadjar replaced Yuki Tsunoda in the main Red Bull Racing seat midway through the 2026 season, an unusually bold mid-year swap for a driver still in his rookie campaign.
- At the moment of his injury, Hadjar sat eighth in the Drivers’ Championship with 71 points, on the back of seven consecutive top-six finishes.
- His two podium finishes in 2026 came at very different types of circuits: the high-speed Zandvoort and the street layout of Monaco, suggesting an all-around skill set rather than a track-specific strength.
- During Hadjar’s three-race absence, Red Bull turned to Liam Lawson while Racing Bulls relied fully on Yuki Tsunoda, a swap that put both substitute drivers’ performances under close scrutiny.
- Aston Martin, Haas and Racing Bulls remain the only three teams without a confirmed 2027 driver lineup, with two seats open at each.
It took Hadjar just eight months to convince Red Bull that he is the long-term teammate Verstappen needs. Do you think this is the right move for the team, or is it too soon to commit to a second-year driver?
Let us know what you think in the comments, and tell us if you expect to see Hadjar back on the podium as early as Baku.
Sources: Formula1.com, RacingNews365, GPFans, Sky Sports, Yahoo Sports, Grandprix247, Speedweek, MotorBiscuit
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