F1 legend Lewis Hamilton warns Red Bull over Isack Hadjar promotion

Hamilton in Ferrari kit with his arm around Hadjar, who faces away from the camera in Racing Bulls teamwear in the F1 paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton warns Red Bull over Isack Hadjar promotion

Hamilton has issued concerns about the Red Bull F1 environment

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 5 December 2025 17:55

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F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has warned Red Bull that promoting Isack Hadjar up from Racing Bulls may not work out well.

Ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend it was finally confirmed that Hadjar would be stepping up to become Max Verstappen's team-mate in 2026, with Yuki Tsunoda left without a full-time F1 seat.

Tsunoda will instead act as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull while junior driver Arvid Lindblad has been handed a shot in the pinnacle of motorsport, taking Hadjar's seat at Racing Bulls.

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But a worrying trend has been made painfully clear within the Red Bull F1 family in recent years - drivers thrive at the junior team and have their careers curtailed at Red Bull.

After proving himself to be the ideal number two driver in 2022 and 2023, Sergio Perez was axed from Red Bull and Liam Lawson was handed a shot at the main team.

The Kiwi racer was then demoted after just two races in the 2025 campaign and Tsunoda took over the seat, a move which may have now ended his F1 career for good.

And Hamilton is worried the same fate awaits Hadjar if the 21-year-old doesn't quite cut it in 2026.

Hamilton hoping for changes at Red Bull

Discussing Hadjar’s 2026 promotion to Red Bull, Hamilton told the official F1 channel in Abu Dhabi: “I only found out about it today... I’m not going to lie that it doesn’t worry me.

“I think he’s done an amazing job this year and he’s still very, very young, he’s still learning a lot about himself and his surroundings. But he’s done a phenomenal job this year and he’s got a great approach."

The Ferrari star has struggled plenty himself at his new team this season and continued to share his concerns for F1 rookie Hadjar, warning Red Bull that they have plucked him from a good environment at Racing Bulls and now risk wasting his talent at the main team.

Red Bull have historically tailored their F1 car to suit Verstappen and Hamilton appears concerned that if this doesn't change, Hadjar could be the one to pay the price.

The 40-year-old continued: “We all know what happens when people go to Red Bull and the environment that you’re thrown into. Obviously I’ve not been there so I can’t tell from experience but looking from the outside it’s obviously quite difficult and where he is [at Racing Bulls], he’s got, it seems, a really good environment.”

“Yuki is an amazing driver but every driver that goes there has this general experience."

“But it doesn’t mean those drivers aren’t great, it’s clearly something else.

“So I just hope that there are changes made that provide him with the right support.”

F1 Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Yuki Tsunoda Isack Hadjar