Isak Hajjar admitted he felt some “doubt and pressure” as he prepared to take second place at Red Bull, given that several drivers who came before him had struggled to match Max Verstappen.
In December 2025, it was confirmed that Hajjar would leave sister team Racing Bulls next season, as the Frenchman had done enough to impress during his rookie campaign in the sport.
The move meant Hajar would replace Yuki Tsunoda, who was promoted in a place swap with Liam Lawson after a difficult first two rounds for the New Zealander.
A few years earlier, drivers including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez had also had some luck trying to challenge Verstappen, and it was not lost on Hajjar as he prepared to take the seat.
“Obviously you come in and you know where you land, so I definitely had some doubts because it’s Max,” Hajjar explained during Thursday’s media day at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“There’s no denying it, he’s great. There was a bit of doubt and pressure, but so far everything has gone the way I wanted. It’s definitely been on my mind.”
Despite this, Hajjar achieved several good results: his best result was 4th place in Monaco, and his recovery move from the back of the grid to 6th place in Belgium was described by Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies as his “best race” with the team.
“It started off a little rocky,” Hajar explained, looking back on the first half of the season. “The first couple of rounds I felt like I was doing the simple things wrong and the difficult things, like being fast, in rhythm and not too far from Max, very good.
“After the last few rounds, I think I’ve found some consistency and as a team we’ve fixed a few issues that make our lives easier. It’s a lot easier when the car is reliable. When it works, it’s easy to get results, I’m not going to lie.
“It’s good, but at the same time I’d like to have a race where I can actually fight for a real podium, and that’s the next goal.”
Hajjar also assessed his confidence level behind the wheel now, adding: “It’s a car that I handle well. It’s not that easy to drive, but it’s stable. I’ve been enjoying it for a few rounds now, so I’m definitely happy.”
“We’re still not where I want to be. There are still a few areas where we lack competitiveness compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, so we still need to dig in, but it’s definitely good progress.”
Asked if he has surprised himself this season, the 21-year-old said: “I haven’t surprised myself this year to be honest. I’ve just been riding at a high level, definitely better than last year.”
“It’s okay because it’s my second season so I’m not very experienced, but I’m improving a little bit. I’d say Max was very impressive on Sunday, in every way. I think my one-lap pace was pretty good, but how well he manages the races is on another level, so I’m focused on the work.”