Max Verstappen F1 team-mate highlights his “impressive” quality

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar says Max Verstappen’s “being very mad when it doesn’t go his way” is an “impressive” trait, as he gets set to partner the four-time Formula 1 champion in 2026.

After a disappointing campaign for Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has partially refreshed its line-up for 2026 to bring Isack Hadjar into the fold.

He will partner Max Verstappen, who comes into the new campaign having staged a strong fightback to only miss out on a fifth world title by two points to Lando Norris in a significantly more competitive McLaren compared to the Red Bull.

Though 2026 sees the biggest technical shake-up in years, Verstappen will still be seen as one of the favourites to battle for the championship.

Hadjar notes that world champions tend to “slow down a bit” once they’ve reached a certain level, but Verstappen “seems to be starting just like I am”.

“What I find very impressive with Max is that, after four world championships, he’s still very hungry, and very mad when it doesn’t go his way because he always wants to win,” Hadjar told the official F1 website.

“I don’t think every champion can do that; once you’ve passed a certain level, you can maybe slow down a bit in your approach, but he seems to be starting just like I am, so it’s very impressive.”

Hadjar’s promotion to Red Bull for 2026 comes after a strong debut campaign in 2025 with Racing Bulls, in which he managed a podium finish.

Looking ahead to his second year, he said: “Honestly, there’s two things [that excite me].

“Being in a world champion team; when I grew up watching Formula 1, I saw [Sebastian] Vettel winning all these races with Red Bull.

“And being team-mates with Max, to see what it’s like, what facing the best level in the world feels like.

“It’s definitely super exciting.

“I have no expectations at all because it's starting from scratch, everyone.

“So yeah, the work is going to be done. I'm just really looking forward to January, February, working with the team, getting to know all the people.

“It's going to be crucial to try and be ahead a bit.”