Isack Hadjar says there's 'no point' as talks over Red Bull F1 promotion to begin

Isack Hadjar said he will soon hold talks with Red Bull over his 2026 Formula 1 plans. But the Frenchman insists he is in "no rush" to set anything in stone amid speculation he could be the next driver to partner Max Verstappen.

Hadjar has enjoyed an impressive rookie season so far and is the highest-scoring driver employed by Red Bull after Verstappen. And his stock rose further at Zandvoort last week where he qualified fourth for Racing Bulls and converted that into his first F1 podium.

That performance and result has done his chances of earning a promotion to the main Red Bull team no harm at all and it is understood Hadjar is the front-runner to take the seat currently occupied by Yuki Tsunoda for next year.

But nothing is likely to happen before then with Red Bull currently unwilling to make another mid-season driver swap, having dropped Liam Lawson for Tsunoda just two rounds into the current campaign. And Hadjar is absolutely fine with that.

"To be honest, at the start of the year, [the media] were asking me if I was feeling ready to jump in the Red Bull this year," said the Frenchman at Monza, ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. "And the answer is still no, because I don't see the point of doing that right now.

"But '26 is a different question, because it's a brand new start for the team. There won't be this talk of the second car thing. This wouldn't be a thing because it's a brand new car for everyone. You will be in a phase where you need to direct the car into the right direction. So no, I think this is actually interesting."

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The seat is Tsunoda's to lose and it has been tough for the Japanese in a car which it seems only Verstappen can tame. Regardless, his results have not been anywhere near good enough, though he did score points for the first time since May by finishing ninth in Zandvoort.

Tsunoda has 12 points to show for his season so far, three of which were scored for Racing Bulls before he got the promotion to the main Red Bull team. He is 19th in the standings with only the pointless Alpine pair of Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto below him.

In contrast, Hadjar is now 10th with 37 points. And the Frenchman is focused on continuing his rise to give himself the best chance of a successful outcome when talks over his place in Red Bull's 2026 plans begin in the coming weeks.

He said: "It's obviously something I have in mind. There's nine races left to prove I can keep doing a very good job. Me, personally, I haven't [spoken about 2026]. Yeah [I expect them to begin soon] but, to be honest, I'm not in a rush."