Verstappen’s Revolving Door: Hadjar Becomes His Seventh Red Bull Teammate
Max Verstappen will soon welcome yet another new face to the garage. French driver Isack Hadjar is set to become the four-time world champion’s seventh different teammate at Red Bull in 2026.
That’s a lot of co-workers for someone who’s been with the same team since 2016.
Let’s look at how the previous six teammates have fared against the Dutch superstar.
Daniel Ricciardo was easily Verstappen’s toughest competition within the team. The always-smiling Australian had already been racing for Red Bull since 2014, when he shocked everyone by beating then-reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.
When Verstappen got promoted from Toro Rosso midway through the 2016 season, he immediately won his debut race in Barcelona. Talk about making an entrance! Still, Ricciardo proved more consistent that year and grabbed third in the championship.
The pattern continued in 2017, with Ricciardo again finishing ahead in the standings.
But 2018 changed everything. Verstappen flipped the script and outscored his older teammate for the first time. Ricciardo suffered terrible luck with those unreliable Renault engines, and by season’s end, he’d decided to jump ship to Renault.
Pierre Gasly was next up. After impressing at Toro Rosso in 2018, the Frenchman got his big break—but it didn’t last long. Red Bull sent him packing before the season even finished.
Rookie Alexander Albon took over from the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix and immediately made waves with some bold overtaking moves. He scored more points than Gasly had managed but struggled with consistency, especially in qualifying.
Albon’s 2020 season brought mixed results. He grabbed podiums at Mugello and Bahrain (something Gasly never achieved at Red Bull), but also found himself in too many incidents. Strangely, he finished behind Gasly in the final standings, despite driving the faster car. Meanwhile, Verstappen cruised to third place with three wins.
Red Bull had seen enough. They signed Sergio Perez for 2021.
“Checo” had proven his racing instincts by winning the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in his Racing Point. When that team (now Aston Martin) didn’t keep him, Red Bull swooped in for the experienced Mexican.
With Perez alongside him, Verstappen finally captured his first world title. Though Perez often couldn’t match his teammate’s pace, he became the perfect wingman. Remember his incredible defense against Lewis Hamilton in Turkey? Or how he held up Hamilton for crucial laps in Abu Dhabi to bring Verstappen back into the fight?
That’s teammate gold.
The partnership continued to work in 2022 as new regulations came in. While Ferrari initially seemed competitive, Red Bull eventually dominated. Verstappen secured his second title comfortably, and Perez contributed two wins on his way to third in the championship.
2023 saw peak Red Bull dominance. Verstappen won an astonishing 19 races in that season alone.
But Perez did something in Baku that no other Verstappen teammate had managed at Red Bull—he beat Max in a straight fight. He also won in Jeddah earlier that year. Still, the final numbers were telling: Perez scored 285 points while Verstappen racked up a massive 575.
By 2024, Red Bull’s car advantage had shrunk. Verstappen still clinched another world title, but Perez’s inconsistency cost the team dearly. He scored less than half of Max’s points, allowing McLaren to snatch the constructors’ championship. The verdict was clear: time for a change.
The 2025 season brought not one but two new teammates for Verstappen.
Many raised eyebrows when Liam Lawson got promoted to Red Bull. The New Zealander hadn’t even completed a full F1 season, but apparently impressed team advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner enough to get the call-up.
His stint lasted just two races.
Yuki Tsunoda replaced him and did somewhat better, but the Japanese driver sits only twelfth in the championship despite Verstappen showing the RB21 is often the fastest car since summer break.
Now it’s Hadjar’s turn for 2026. Will he break the pattern and become a long-term partner for Verstappen? Or just another name on the growing list?
Time will tell if the Frenchman has what it takes to survive alongside one of the sport’s all-time greats.
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