Isaac Hajjar believes he was slower than Max Verstappen when he first started working at Red Bull and says he is mentally preparing to deal with a “tough” and “frustrating” period in 2026.
Red Bull will promote Hajjar to partner Verstappen next season, replacing Hiroki Tsunoda, who took over from Liam Lawson, for two races until 2025. Lawson’s short stint comes in the wake of Sergio Perez’s struggles, and Hajjar said he was trying to prepare for a situation where he shouldn’t compare himself too much to his new teammate.
“If anything, the goal is to accept that it’s going to be slow for the first few months,” Hajar said. “I think once you get into that mindset, you’ve already accepted that it’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be very frustrating when you look at the data and see that you can’t achieve it yet. But if you know, you’re more prepared.
“I don’t know. Maybe the way I drive this (Racing Bulls) car suits me perfectly. But at the same time, it’s Max Verstappen. He doesn’t have a driving style, he adapts to what he’s given. That’s his strength. I think he’ll do as well in next year’s car as he did in this year’s car and last year. He’s always adapting too.”
Rather than seeing this as a defeatist attitude, Hajjar believes other drivers will sit in the Red Bull seat believing they can match Verstappen and not be able to cope with the challenge of having to overcome an early deficit.
“I think they think the opposite[of me]. Everyone thinks they’re special. Then you come in and you’re like, ‘He’s human, I’m going to beat him.'” And then you get trampled. And the snowball effect begins.
“We are talking about the best driver on the grid. There is a very good chance that I will be slow at the beginning of the year. Now I might as well accept that and work towards getting there. Of course I want to be as fast as him. I hope, but realistically there is little chance.”
