Red Bull has officially retained Isack Hadjar as Max Verstappen's team-mate for the 2027 Formula 1 season. The announcement came upon Hadjar's return from a wrist injury at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, after he missed three rounds.
The decision ends speculation about the second Red Bull seat. Hadjar, in only his second F1 season, has impressed and is arguably the closest team-mate to Verstappen since Daniel Ricciardo. However, his strong performance may have been aided by the competitive re-balancing triggered by the new-for-2026 cars and power units.
Team boss Laurent Mekies expressed his confidence: "Isack has been superb on and off track, especially considering this is only his second Formula 1 season, which made extending his contract an easy decision. The period since his injury has been a difficult one for Isack, but this extension is a testament to how much we believe in him and we can't wait to see him back out on track."
Statistically, Hadjar has scored 71 points to Verstappen's 145 (over three more rounds) and secured a podium in Monaco, which was initially taken away and then reinstated after a drawn-out appeals process over Pierre Gasly's penalty. This highlights his potential as a future star for Red Bull.
Attention now shifts to Red Bull's second team, Racing Bulls, where rookie Arvid Lindblad is virtually certain to remain, but the situation surrounding Liam Lawson is more intriguing. Lawson has performed well standing in for Hadjar and had a strong season, making him the favourite to stay. However, Red Bull has Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings for an F1 debut.
With Hadjar's extension, Red Bull secures one of the most promising young drivers on the grid. This move also provides stability ahead of the 2027 season, which will introduce new technical regulations. Now, focus turns to Racing Bulls, where decisions on Lawson and Lindblad are expected soon.
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Red Bull Racing resmi perpanjang kontrak Isack Hadjar hingga 2027. Bos tim Laurent Mekies sebut keputusan mudah, Hadjar pun antusias lanjutkan kerja sama.
Red Bull resmi pertahankan Isack Hadjar dan Max Verstappen untuk F1 2027. Duet ini diharapkan menjaga stabilitas tim menghadapi regulasi baru.
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