The 21-year-old Frenchman Isack Hadjar is putting in one solid race after another for Red Bull Racing. In Belgium, he fought his way up from 21st on the grid to sixth place; “that was his best performance for us so far,” praised team principal Laurent Mekies.

In Hungary, Hadjar finished sixth once again, continuing a fine run of form: since the Canadian Grand Prix, the Parisian has finished in the top six every time – sixth in Barcelona, Spielberg, Spa and Budapest; fifth in Montreal and Silverstone; and fourth in Monaco as his best result. This puts Hadjar in eighth place in the World Championship standings.

Mekies hasn’t gone that far as to confirm his compatriot for the 2027 season, but the team principal’s words suggest that Hadjar will stay on.

Laurent Mekies says: “The fact that Isack can compete at the front is very good news for us, and it’s also good news for Max. We haven’t discussed the future yet, but everyone can see what a good job Hadjar is doing for us. So we’ll make the logical decision.”

Since Sergio Pérez’s dip in form and following the disappointing performances of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, Hadjar has been Max Verstappen’s best team-mate.