Hadjar is 'definitely' a contender to take over from Tsunoda.

      "He was quick from the beginning."

      Isack Hadjar is "definitely" emerging as a potential candidate to become Max Verstappen’s next teammate. This is the opinion of Red Bull’s esteemed advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, who has been praising the 20-year-old French-Algerian throughout his rookie season with the Racing Bulls so far.

      At the same time, while Marko acknowledges that Yuki Tsunoda is closer to Verstappen than Liam Lawson or Sergio Perez were over the past year, the 82-year-old has begun to highlight Tsunoda’s errors. "Yuki is a strong-willed and emotional character," Marko told sport.de. "He simply cannot afford any mistakes; that’s the key factor."

      Indeed, following Tsunoda’s dramatic rollover crash at Imola, he no longer shares the same specification of the 2025 car as Verstappen does. On the other hand, Hadjar has also made errors—crashing into the barriers twice on Friday in Monaco alone. He was visibly angry after one of the hits, repeatedly calling himself "stupid" afterward.

      "The barriers were too close for him," Marko joked. "He should concentrate on racing instead of criticizing his own intelligence, but it wasn't due to a lack of speed. He did hit the wall twice, but he was quick."

      Marko shows more leniency toward rookie Hadjar’s mistakes compared to Tsunoda, who is in his fifth consecutive F1 season as of 2025. Regarding Hadjar, Marko stated: "He is definitely a significant surprise. He was fast right from the start, save for his mistake in Melbourne. Just like Max, he quickly adapts after three laps, even if he isn't familiar with many circuits.

      "He makes it to Q3 every time and scores points consistently," the Austrian continued. "He may be discreet and unremarkable, but incredibly fast. With a bit more experience, he can certainly become a contender," Marko added, referring to the position at Red Bull Racing that Tsunoda currently holds.