Isack Hadjar is stepping into what Christian Horner once called the toughest job in Formula 1, but Sergio Perez believes the timing could not be better.<\/p>\n
Heading to Melbourne next week for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen will have his fourth different driver in 16 months alongside him in the Red Bull car.<\/p>\n
Sergio Perez says Isack Hadjar\u2019s Red Bull timing is ideal<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n While Perez sat in the seat in 2024\u2019s finale in Abu Dhabi, at the time expecting to continue with the team, he was dropped a week later aas Red Bull wielded the axe after he scored just over a third of Verstappen\u2019s points.<\/p>\n Verstappen won the title, his fourth on the trot, while Perez fell to eighth in the standings.<\/p>\n Liam Lawson was promoted in his stead, only to find himself ousted from the Red Bull seat after two race weekends. He was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, but Tsunoda scored just 30 points in 22 races and was also reshuffled to a reserve role.<\/p>\n In steps Isack Hadjar for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old had a headline-creating first season in Formula 1 with Racing Bulls. He began his debut campaign in tears at the side of the track when he crashed on the formation lap in Australia, secured a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix, and outscored both Lawson and Tsunoda in the standings.<\/p>\n Red Bull announced in the build-up to the season-ending Abu Dhabi race that Hadjar would step up from Racing Bulls to Red Bull to partner four-time champion Verstappen,<\/p>\n It is, according to former Red Bull team principal Horner, \u201cprobably the toughest job in Formula 1\u2026 because the level that he\u2019s operating at, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a driver in Formula 1 that would be able to take him on in this car\u201d.<\/p>\n But Perez, who held the role 16 months ago, reckons Hadjar couldn\u2019t have stepped into the Red Bull seat at a better time.<\/p>\n F1 2026: Drivers and schedule<\/p>\n F1 2026 driver line-up: Isack Hadjar and other drivers confirmed for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n F1 schedule: When is the first F1 race and where is it being held?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to come into Red Bull with such a change in the regulations,\u201d Perez told PlanetF1.com and other media in Bahrain.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Isack is a very talented driver, he\u2019s shown that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure as long as he stays cool throughout the year, he will have a very successful career in Formula 1. And also being teammates with Max at Red Bull, it\u2019s a great team.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think is a it\u2019s a great place for him to be at this point of his career. I think it\u2019s a massive opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s because this season Formula 1 is racing all-new cars, even the engine formula has changed, and it requires a different style to yesteryear\u2019s cars with energy management at the fore.<\/p>\n Alex Albon, who was Verstappen\u2019s teammate in mid-2019 and through \u201920, agrees with Perez.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Isack is a quick driver,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think actually a lot of this regulation change will be good. It\u2019s a fresh start for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on what I\u2019ve seen so far, he seems to be quite comfortable with the car and not just in terms of having a quick teammate, but the car itself.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think he\u2019s gonna do okay.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Hadjar, the 21-year-old is hoping that his previous knowledge of working with Red Bull, having done so in FP1 sessions while also working with team boss Laurent Mekies at Racing Bulls in early 2025 before the Frenchman\u2019s Red Bull promotion, will smooth the transition.<\/p>\n \u201cI doesn\u2019t really feel like jumping in a new team, to be honest,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing FP1s for this team already, back in \u201923, \u201924. I\u2019ve been signed in \u201921 so at the end of the day, I\u2019m working with engineers that I\u2019ve known for a while now. I\u2019ve been on sim support sessions with them for the team.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, yeah, it made the transition a lot easier. And also having Laurent as a leader is great. I made my debut in Formula 1 with him, stepping into my second season with him is good. So, so it\u2019s been, it\u2019s been very smooth, very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n