Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar.
Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar has been a breath of fresh air for the team this season, racking up points and finally allowing the Milton Keynes-based outfit to compete for the constructors' championship once again.
Even more admirable has been his ability to tame the second seat at Red Bull, which, at one point, was considered "cursed" by Formula One fans. Nearly halfway into the season, the young French-Algerian driver has shown the most promise in the garage since Sergio Pérez. Hadjar is not just about promise, though — he has the points to prove it.
Rather than being intimidated by sharing a garage with a four-time world champion, Hadjar says he has embraced the challenge and is using Max Verstappen as the ultimate benchmark. Sitting on 52 points, Hadjar trails his teammate by 24 points in a title race still led by Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli. To make his season even more special, Hadjar earned his maiden podium with the team at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Hadjar revealed that his biggest lesson has been understanding how Verstappen extracts maximum performance from every single lap. By studying telemetry, onboard footage, and feedback from engineering meetings, he has gained valuable insight into the subtle techniques that separate the very best drivers from the rest of the grid.
