Isack Hadjar endured his most difficult weekend since joining Red Bull Racing after struggling for competitiveness throughout the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The outcome stood in sharp contrast to the French driver’s confident assessment before the event, where he described his transition into the senior Red Bull team as relatively straightforward.
Prior to the Miami International Autodrome weekend, Hadjar explained that the move from Racing Bulls did not feel like a major change because he had already spent several years working within the wider Red Bull environment. He also pointed to familiar operational procedures and steering systems as factors that accelerated his technical adaptation compared to other junior drivers previously promoted into the main team.
"Honestly, the transition to Red Bull has been pretty easy. I’ve worked with Red Bull people for years already, and I’ve completed FP1 sessions before, so it never felt like joining a completely new team," said Hadjar.
Across the opening three rounds of the season, Hadjar initially showed promising pace by out-qualifying Max Verstappen on two occasions. Although Verstappen’s Australian Grand Prix crash influenced part of that comparison, Hadjar still appeared significantly more competitive than several previous team-mates who struggled to adapt to Red Bull machinery.
Miami, however, delivered a very different picture. Hadjar was almost one second slower than Verstappen over a single lap before eventually crashing out of the grand prix itself. The weekend also highlighted the young driver’s biggest challenge so far in understanding the upgraded RB22 package introduced by Red Bull for Miami.
From a technical perspective, Red Bull’s performance gains in Miami further exposed the adaptation gap between Verstappen and Hadjar. Verstappen successfully maximised the updated aerodynamic balance and rear-end stability improvements, particularly through high-speed sections and tyre management phases. Hadjar, meanwhile, struggled to maintain consistent grip during braking and rapid directional changes.
The situation remains significant because the RB22 continues to demand an aggressive front-end driving style. Verstappen has spent multiple seasons mastering Red Bull’s sharp oversteer characteristics, while newer drivers often require substantially more time to fully understand the aerodynamic responses and weight transfer behaviour of the car.
Hadjar has now collected only four points from the opening four rounds of the championship, including two sprint events, while Verstappen appears to have regained stronger competitiveness following the Miami upgrade package. With the Formula 1 season approaching the European phase, Hadjar’s ability to adapt to the RB22’s continued development could become increasingly important for Red Bull’s constructors’ championship campaign.
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