Max Verstappen warning as new Red Bull team-mate could be his toughest yet

Red Bull

Max Verstappen warning as new Red Bull team-mate could be his toughest yet

Max Verstappen will face a new team-mate in 2026

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 1 January 2026 21:12

Max Verstappen's new F1 team-mate Isack Hadjar has been tipped for a more promising stint at Red Bull compared to his predecessors.

The revolving door of young talent at Red Bull has become legendary, with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda all sampling the seat and failing to live up to the high mark set by Verstappen.

Not only is it mentally tough to compete against the driver widely regarded as the best on the grid, but also the car itself has been problematic for new drivers to master.

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During the ground effect era, the Red Bull has been a notoriously difficult car to drive and suited to the characteristics preferred by Verstappen, such as a pointy front end to attack corners quicker.

This, however, leads to instability at the back end and the risk of oversteer, something that Verstappen can control but, for the likes of Lawson and Tsunoda, is a facet of the car that makes it so difficult to drive.

F1 regulation changes: A blessing for Hadjar?

The 2026 season will feature an entirely new concept of cars, where both Verstappen and new team-mate Hadjar will be on a somewhat equal footing in alien machinery.

Speaking to Austrian publication Kronen Zeitung, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner addressed Hadjar's promotion, and believesthat the rule reset could be an advantage for the Frenchman.

When asked if Tsunoda's fate also faces Hadjar, Steiner disagreed and argued: "I believe Hadjar is a really good racing driver. And secondly, he has the advantage of the new regulations.

"This allows him to start from scratch with Max. Lawson and Tsunoda, however, were put in a car with which Max had a lot of experience, and they weren't able to catch up quickly.

"Moreover, the field was so closely matched. Hadjar has better conditions in this respect. And the motto must be that Red Bull finds a talent they believe can become nearly as good as Max."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Isack Hadjar Guenther Steiner