Jacques Villeneuve backs Isack Hadjar for Red Bull seat after "wow" highs and Liam Lawson lows

Former Formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve believes that Isack Hadjar has the right attitude for Red Bull as the 21-year-old driver prepares to join Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes outfit next year.

Red Bull announced its 2026 driver line-up at the start of December, placing Hadjar alongside Verstappen and Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad beside Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls. Verstappen's 2025 team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is set to move into a reserve driver role.

“Hadjar was hit and miss," Villeneuve said when reflecting on the rookie driver's performance in 2025 on the High Performance podcast.

"He had some crazy crazy… It's a very Red Bull way now. Very aggressive. Some crazy races. I mean some races were 'Wow, where did that come from?'

"Then some other races where he was behind Lawson. So if he can keep that special momentum going, and it was only his first season. So if he keeps that momentum going, he's in the perfect team. Red Bull, with his attitude, it works well."

While Red Bull has seen a lot of change in the seat alongside Verstappen, Hadjar is not concerned about the task ahead.

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

"It's a very good moment in my career, that's for sure," Hadjar explained during the press conference in Abu Dhabi.

"For all the hard work through the years being rewarded now, obviously it's just the beginning of a new journey. But I'm very excited and stepping into a new era of Formula 1 as well. I think it's very good timing."

2026 welcomes a new wave of regulations in the championship, which Hadjar sees as a positive for his first year in the coveted seat.

"I have no expectations at all, because starting from scratch - everyone. The work is going to be done," he added.

"I'm just really looking forward to January, February, working with the team, getting to know the people. It's going to be crucial to try and be ahead a bit."