For Jamie Chadwick, the closeness between Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen is a major asset for Red Bull, especially for guiding the development of the RB22.
Finding a teammate capable of racing close enough to Max Verstappen has become one of the big challenges for Red Bull in recent years. Sergio Pérez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda have all struggled significantly to keep up with the pace of the four-time world champion.
The situation is noticeably different with Isack Hadjar. Promoted to Red Bull this season after an excellent 2025 campaign with Racing Bulls, the Frenchman manages to stay much closer to Verstappen, especially over a single lap.
After eleven Grands Prix, Hadjar is eighth in the championship with 68 points, just 41 behind his teammate. A closeness that represents much more than just a sporting satisfaction for Red Bull.
Hadjar much closer to Verstappen
In qualifying, Verstappen currently leads 8-3 against Hadjar. But the average gap between the two drivers is around a tenth of a second.
A particularly interesting figure when compared to Verstappen’s previous teammates.
During their four seasons together, Verstappen dominated Sergio Pérez 80-10 in qualifying. During his very short stint at Red Bull in 2025, Liam Lawson conceded nearly nine tenths on average, while Yuki Tsunoda was about six tenths behind.
For Jamie Chadwick, this difference is fundamental.
“I think for Max, having a teammate like Isack, whose data and setup changes he can really exploit more, is extremely valuable”, explains the three-time W Series champion on Sky Sports F1.
Two cars to better develop the Red Bull
Having two drivers performing at relatively close levels mainly allows Red Bull to compare much more effectively the setups and developments made to the RB22.
When Verstappen was far ahead of his teammate, determining whether a difference came from the car, the setup, or simply the driver’s level could be much more complicated.
With Hadjar, Red Bull now has much more representative data coming from both sides of the garage.
“It’s especially valuable for the team as a whole. They can guide the team in a direction that allows them to get representative data”, Chadwick points out.
This contribution takes on particular importance this season, as Red Bull is still trying to understand a car with sometimes unpredictable behavior.
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Chadwick also believes that the new technical regulations may have helped reduce the gaps.
“The cars are very different this season and that has allowed Isack to be closer, but he is undoubtedly an incredible talent.”
Hadjar also brings consistency
The Frenchman does not just show good speed over a lap. His best result remains a fourth place in Monaco and he has finished eight of the first eleven races of the season in the top 10.
Two retirements have limited his points total, but Hadjar has regularly positioned himself in the zone allowing Red Bull to score with both cars.
In Hungary, he notably finished sixth while Verstappen secured second place.
An important contribution for a team that is only fourth in the constructors’ championship and is still trying to close the gap on Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren.
A positive relationship with Verstappen
Jamie Chadwick finally emphasizes another aspect of the partnership between the two drivers: their relationship off the track.
Verstappen’s particularly aggressive image when behind the wheel does not necessarily correspond to his behavior within the team.
“If you ask most drivers, despite all the competitiveness differences with Max, everyone says he is actually incredibly kind”, explains Chadwick.
“Everyone in the team talks about it a lot. We see this version of Max when his visor is down, but it is very different from his personality within the team.”
After several seasons searching for a second driver capable of truly contributing to the team’s performance, Red Bull may have found with Hadjar a particularly valuable piece. Not necessarily because he regularly beats Verstappen, but because he is close enough to become a true technical reference on the other side of the garage.
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