EXCLUSIVE: F1 insider shares the one thing Max Verstappen’s team-mate must do to survive at Red Bull

F1 analyst and former W Series driver Naomi Schiff has laid out exactly what Max Verstappen's new team-mate needs to do to survive ahead of a testing first season at Red Bull.

The energy drink giants have once again placed their trust in a former junior driver to take up the challenging role of supporting Verstappen at the main team after Yuki Tsunoda was axed from the second seat following the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.

After 22 race weekends at the main team, Tsunoda was deemed to have failed to live up to Red Bull's expectations, a conclusion that has become synonymous with the team formerly run by Christian Horner.

Instead, former Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar has been ushered in to replace Tsunoda for 2026 having already gone one better than the Japanese driver last year when he managed to join Verstappen on the grand prix podium for the first time in his career.

But even with Horner having also been sacked, Hadjar will still find himself under immense pressure to support Verstappen as the new F1 regulations cycle comes into play.

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Schiff: 'Hadjar must be patient and bide his time'

Speaking exclusively to GPFans on the launch day of the new Up to Speed podcast, Schiff said of Hadjar's positive start in the sport: "Let’s see how Isack Hadjar does in that second seat, all eyes on that. Incredible rookie season. He was also so impressive throughout the year [2025]. What we saw out of him was really impressive. His first year in F1, he’s so young, he was very good in the junior formula.

"He almost won F2 and I think the people reading this will know that about him so I’m not teaching them anything but it takes a strong character to be able to do that and it takes a very strong character to fill that second seat because Max is the creme de la creme in F1, he is the benchmark by far, you can’t take that away from him.

"He’s dominating this era of F1 and to be his team-mate is a tough job and it’s going to take someone whose got a character to deal with that and I think Isack will do well. I think he’s got to be patient, I think it’s easy to compare yourself because that’s the job right? Your number one job in F1 is to beat your team-mate and it’s going to be tricky to beat Max. It’s going to very, very hard and I’m sure he’s going to give it everything he can."

The Sky Sports F1 star then parted with some crucial advice for Hadjar as he prepares to hold his own alongside his four-time champion team-mate, saying: "But he’s got to stay confident and bide his time."

"I think he also wears his heart on his sleeve, I think that’s what we saw in his junior formulas," Schiff continued, referencing Hadjar's heartbreaking 2024 title loss, where his hopes of F2 championship success died along with his engine at the start line of the season finale, where he was separated by only half a point with fellow F1-driver-to-be, Gabriel Bortoleto.

"I don’t want to use the term emotional because that sounds negative but he shows his emotions. So sometimes that might read as dramatic or weak which it definitely isn’t, in some cases I think it’s very much a strength.

"The bottom line is when he gets in the car he’s very consistent and that’s what matters and I think that will show."

Up To Speed with David Coulthard, Will Buxton, Naomi Schiff and Jolie Sharpe is available wherever you get your podcasts on Mondays and Thursdays.

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