Hadjar: I still 'don’t see the point' of joining Red Bull mid-season

Isack Hadjar still reluctant to join Red Bull

At the beginning of the season, Hadjar was asked if he felt ready for a Red Bull seat.

His response was unequivocally no, with the Frenchman enjoying the predictability and consistent pace of hit VCARB 01.

Considering that Tsunoda (who was faster than Hadjar at VCARB) was experiencing difficulties at Red Bull, this was perfectly logical.

Hadjar was also boosting his market value by outperforming Liam Lawson – whilst avoiding the stain of a difficult spell alongside Verstappen.

Fast-forward to today, the 20-year-old has continued to cement himself as a top prospect.

Although Lawson was actually beginning to secure better results than Hadjar before the summer break, this fact will now be largely overlooked.

As the younger driver with better results (and yet to suffer a tough Red Bull stint) Hadjar is in a stronger position.

Whilst Red Bull are still evaluating Tsunoda, the narrative is obviously now very positive for the VCARB driver.

Despite this, Isack Hadjar still doesn’t want a mid-season move:

“At the start of the year, you were asking me if I was feeling ready to jump in the Red Bull this year – and the answer is still ‘no’.

“I don’t see the point of doing that right now,” he told the media in Monza.

“But 2026 is a different question, because it’s a brand new start for the team. There won’t be this talk of a ‘second car’ thing.

“This won’t be a thing because it’s a brand-new car for everyone.

“You actually will be in a phase where you need to direct the car into the right direction, so I think this is actually interesting.”

A different story for 2026

There are still a lot of key factors that will determine Red Bull’s next steps with their drivers.

Team principal Laurent Mekies has given consistent vocal support to Yuki Tsunoda since taking charge at Milton Keynes.

Given Mekies’ previous time with Tsunoda at VCARB, this is not necessarily a surprise.

Like the rest of the grid, who saw the Japanese driver excelling until he joined Red Bull, Mekies is not ready to discard Tsunoda.

Because of this, the 25-year-old still has some time to prove himself at Red Bull.

The Austrian team’s preference for 2026 is continuity, especially in the context of a tumultuous last few years.

With that said, Hadjar is now positioning himself as a credible alternative if Tsunoda falls short.

From Hadjar’s perspective, the majority of the hard work is already done.

Red Bull see him as part of their plans for 2026, whether at the main team or at the second team.

The question is whether Tsunoda can build on his P9 in Zandvoort and score points consistently at Red Bull.

Hadjar, much like Red Bull, would rather avoid another mid-season swap.

As a result, it will be a few more months before the team’s plans for the future become clear.