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Isack Hadjar admits disbelief in first Red Bull interview: "What the hell am I doing here?"

Isack Hadjar has opened up about his Red Bull promotion for 2026

Lydia Mee

Published: Jan 12, 2026, 1:36 PM

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Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Isack Hadjar has given his first interview as a Red Bull Formula 1 driver ahead of the 2026 season, when he will join four-time champion Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes outfit.

During an appearance on Red Bull's Talking Bull podcast, the French-Algerian driver discussed how he found out he would join the team and what it feels to be sat alongside Verstappen.

"I just called my mum," he said when asked who he told first when he got the call. "She said that she actually got the phone call before I had it. She knew. Because she's my manager and she knows more than I do."

Asked if it had sunk in yet, he explained: "There are moments where I do realise what's happening and I'm up for the challenge and sometimes like, 'What the hell am I doing here?'

"It's so far away from my go-kart days. I'm like, 'Why me? How did I get chosen?'"

Hadjar will join Verstappen at Red Bull after a string of drivers have found themselves replaced in the position. Liam Lawson took Sergio Perez's place in the seat at the start of 2025, only to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after two race weekends. While there is clearly going to be a lot of pressure that comes with the role, Hadjar is excited to join the Dutchman.

"So cool," he said. "I'm just 21 years old. I started single-seater racing in 2019, and I get to be team-mates with the best driver on the grid. It's a huge, huge privilege."

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls with his father Yassine Hadjar

Photo by: Erik Junius

The former Racing Bulls driver is eager to learn.

"It's like, why did he finish so close to being world champion [in 2025] without the best car? There have been races where there have been very tricky conditions and he's always going to be here. Also, his ability to... he always turns up in Q3. He always goes and finds more lap time.

"If there's a single opportunity, if there's a scenario out of 10 million, there's only one where he's actually going to win the race; he's going to win the race."

In addition to racing alongside one of his heroes in 2026, Hadjar had the opportunity to meet Alain Prost in Abu Dhabi last year, an experience he described as "unreal".

"As a kid, I was rooting for Senna and as I grew up more and more I appreciated what Prost did actually. You actually look at his career, he's had the most beautiful career in terms of stats and teams he's joined. He's won with all the great teams. He had all the toughest team-mates. And I love his approach; he's using his head.

"And my dad, he's a physicist, and he always wanted to meet Alain Prost. He was here when I gave him my helmet. So actually the best moment was seeing my dad, who actually watched Prost racing live. To spend a bit of time with him, I was so hyped for my dad. It was the best moment."

Hadjar has gained the nickname of 'Le Petit Prost', which he confirmed came about because he has the same habit of biting his nails.

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