“Isack is different” – Is Helmut Marko hinting at 2026 Red Bull F1 promotion for Hadjar?

Helmut Marko believes that Isack Hadjar could withstand the pressure of Red Bull's second seat alongside Max Verstappen

While Oscar Piastri had a perfect day in the Formula 1 title race, Isack Hadjar may well be the biggest winner of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Hadjar claimed his very first podium finish – and did so in impressive fashion. To the surprise of many, the rookie put his Racing Bulls fourth on the grid, and followed that up with a flawless race. He did not crack under pressure, and moved up a position when Lando Norris retired to secure that maiden rostrum appearance in F1.

Unsurprisingly, Hadjar’s performance in Zandvoort left a strong impression on Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

“He had to fight pretty hard for it, you know,” Marko told Motorsport.com after the race. “I saw Russell attack him several times. And the other driver was Leclerc. They really tried, but he stayed calm. He didn't do anything wrong. So, yeah, there's a good one coming.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

The words “there’s a good one coming” inevitably raise the question of how ready Hadjar is for a promotion to Red Bull next season. On the one hand, he has been impressing Marko during his rookie season; on the other hand, promoting him too early may carry the risk of ruining his Red Bull career early on, given that Max Verstappen has overshadowed every single team-mate in recent years.

“But Isack is different,” Marko responded. When asked whether the 20-year-old talent could withstand the pressure of the second Red Bull seat, the Austrian nodded in agreement.

According to the Marko, Hadjar’s mental strength too was on display during the Dutch GP weekend: “He had these engine problems on Friday. He completely missed one session, and missed 50% of the other one or so. But he wasn't worried. He said, 'I have the speed, I will qualify in the top five'.” Hadjar kept his word by putting the Racing Bulls on the second row.

No rush to make a decision on 2026 driver line-up

Red Bull, however, is in no hurry to make a definitive decision on its 2026 line-up and does not want to act impulsively. Marko has already indicated that the team will wait until October, with the Mexican GP as a potential reference point.

Until then, Yuki Tsunoda still has a chance to prove himself. Marko was crystal clear when asked what he expected from the Japanese driver in the upcoming weeks: “Consistency and performance, speed-wise.”

In Zandvoort, Tsunoda had the exact same RB21 specification as Verstappen, but was unable to convert that into a Q3 appearance. In the chaotic race he had to settle for P9, although Marko did not want to judge him too harshly.

“This time he was unlucky with the safety car,” the 82-year-old pointed out. “He changed tyres and two laps later the safety car came, so that put him towards the end of the field. But he also didn't do anything wrong.”