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Verstappen and Hadjar mid-discussion on a paddock walk

F1 star hits out at mention of 2026 rival at United States GP

F1 star hits out at mention of 2026 rival at United States GP

Chris Deeley
Verstappen and Hadjar mid-discussion on a paddock walk

The relationship between an F1 driver and their race engineer is a hugely important one, as the pair work together on strategy, car feel and so many other things on track.

What a driver doesn't want, for example, is a voice over the radio telling him that the next driver up the road is a man who hasn't driven a single lap in 2025.

Unfortunately, Isack Hadjar's race engineer Pierre Hamelin got himself a little crossed up when relaying things to his young driver, twice telling Hadjar that he had Valtteri Bottas up ahead of him.

Bottas, comfortably ensconced in the Mercedes garage as their reserve driver, was obviously not the driver in question, and it's not entirely clear what caused Hamelin to get his wires so crossed.

Hadjar: Stop with Bottas!

Radioing in to his driver, Hamelin said: "Bottas two [seconds] pushing. Bottas now, and then Leclerc eight [seconds]'.

"Yeah mate," Hadjar replied. "Stop with Bottas mate. There is no Bottas on track."

Hard to argue with that.

Bottas will, of course, be back in action from the start of next season after agreeing a deal to return to the grid with Cadillac, alongside fellow veteran and former champion's sidekick Sergio Perez.

The pair will be the 21st and 22nd drivers on the grid for 2026, with the American manufacturer coming in as the first expansion team since Haas a decade prior.

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