Isack Hadjar knows exactly what he wants in his rookie year as a Red Bull driver: a first Grand Prix victory. Although team-mate Max Verstappen doesn’t enjoy driving the car the Frenchman would need to take that first win — the RB22 — it doesn’t dent Hadjar’s motivation: “It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not,” the driver said. “Max and I are giving it everything.”
Isack Hadjar had to sit out the morning session on the second test day in Bahrain. The Frenchman was scheduled to climb into the car on Thursday, but a hydraulic leak left him with nothing to do but wait four hours while Red Bull traced the fault. In the afternoon Hadjar was able to put in mileage, ending the day with 87 laps on the board.
The Frenchman was satisfied after his first test miles in Bahrain. “Since there is another test week scheduled next week, I think we have almost enough laps for Melbourne,” Hadjar told Sky Sports. “So far the test programme is going well.”
Earlier his team-mate Max Verstappen had criticised that the new Formula 1 cars aren’t enjoyable to drive. The world champion even labelled the 2026 cars ‘Formula E on steroids’. According to Hadjar, though, that doesn’t dent the motivation of either him or his team-mate. “Max and I are giving it our absolute best. Whether you enjoy it or not doesn’t matter,” the French driver said. “So far it’s one big challenge. It’s hard to get your head around everything that’s happening. There are still issues we’re working through, but it’s moving forward very quickly.”
‘Goal is first Grand Prix win’
Hadjar, after the shakedown in Barcelona, is in his second test week working for Red Bull. The Frenchman impressed in his debut year with sister team Racing Bulls and was picked as Yuki Tsunoda‘s replacement for 2026. The Japanese driver was the most recent team-mate to be outpaced by Verstappen, which fuels concerns that Hadjar could face the same fate. Still, that didn’t stop the Frenchman from making the switch to Red Bull.
“The buzz of fighting for wins against top drivers remains, and that’s the most important thing. But you want to do that in cars that are super, super quick. That makes it that much better,” Hadjar said of his decision to move to Red Bull. His objective in his first year with the Austrians is clear. “Of course that first race win is a target — that would be fantastic,” he added. “I’d like to see our car make faster progress than the other teams. I think that would be a lot of fun too.”
