Hazer’s F1 career got off to a slow start when he spun out in the wet on a formation lap at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. He burst into tears and was consoled by Hamilton’s father Anthony on the way back to the Racing Bulls garage.
But since then he has been one of the brightest rookies this season with an average grid position of 10th and an average advantage of 0.186 seconds, beating teammate Liam Lawson 22 times in qualifying to five.
Hadjar sits 10th in the championship with one Grand Prix remaining this season.
But he faces a tough challenge against Verstappen, who has outperformed all his teammates since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018.
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mackies said: “Isaac has shown great maturity and has proven to be a fast learner. Most importantly, he has demonstrated the raw speed which is the number one requirement in this sport.”
“We believe Isak can step up with Max and create magic on the track.”
Hadjar called it “an amazing move” and said he felt “ready.”
For the seat next to Lindblad at Racing Bulls, Red Bull preferred Lawson over Tsunoda.
Lawson began 2025 with Red Bull, but was demoted to the junior team in the swap for Tsunoda. He clashed badly with Verstappen, to the extent that Red Bull felt they had no choice but to remove him from the seat.
But he is back in F1 at Racing Bulls and some strong performances – including fifth place in Azerbaijan and sixth in Austria – have convinced Red Bull he deserves more time.
He has made 34 starts in three years, but will begin his second full season in 2026.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda has been locked out of the F1 race seat after a disappointing season with Verstappen.
The 25-year-old has long felt that he deserves a chance in the main Red Bull team but has been unable to justify his position.
Their best result is sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and they have scored only 7% of Red Bull’s points in the Constructors’ Championship.
<a href