Red Bull keep Isack Hadjar alongside Max Verstappen for 2027

Isack Hadjar will continue as Max Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate in 2027, BBC Sport reported, securing a second season with the senior team for the 21-year-old Frenchman. The decision follows his promotion from Racing Bulls for the current campaign and comes as he prepares to return from an injury that has kept him out of three races.

Watch the highlights:

Hadjar is due back at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after breaking his wrist while boxing during his training programme. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that the period following the injury had been difficult for the driver, while presenting the contract extension as a demonstration of the team's continued belief in him.

Mekies said retaining Hadjar had been a straightforward choice, praising his contribution both inside and outside the car in what is only his second Formula 1 season. According to the BBC report, the team principal highlighted Hadjar's composure when he first raced for Red Bull in Melbourne and said he had justified his promotion. His strongest race result this season has been third place at Monaco.

The qualifying figures offer another measure of Hadjar's progress. BBC Sport reported that he was an average of 0.239 seconds slower than Verstappen over the first half of the season. It also said he had been closer to the Dutchman's pace than any of Verstappen's team-mates since Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, placing his early performances in the context of that demanding comparison.

Hadjar qualified ahead of Verstappen in Australia, Japan and Britain, although two of those results came with important qualifications. Verstappen crashed at the beginning of qualifying in Australia, while his engine was down on power at Silverstone. Those circumstances are part of the record alongside Hadjar's three qualifying successes against the four-time world champion.

Reflecting on joining Red Bull eight months earlier, Hadjar spoke of the organisation's ambition and the opportunity to keep learning from its staff and from Verstappen. His retention follows Verstappen's own contract announcement in August: the Dutchman signed a two-year extension that takes his agreement through the end of 2030, according to BBC Sport.