Red Bull would have to decide between taking a safer approach or rely on Isack Hadjar‘s Formula 1 skills to tackle a crucial development decision in 2026.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit will reveal its challenger to take on F1’s 2026 regulations reset – the RB22 – at a Ford event on the 15th of January in Detroit.
After having started the ground effects era, in 2022, in dominant fashion, Red Bull’s grip atop the pecking order slowly tapered away from mid-way the 2024 campaign.
It is strongly believed that the incumbent cars designed back in Milton Keynes were tuned specifically to suit Max Verstappen’s driving style.
This was given further credence when Verstappen’s former team-mate Sergio Perez conceded to this in as many words.
The four-time World Champion has an affinity for cars with a sharper front-end. However, the Red Bull designs take it to extremities where only the 28-year-old has been able to thrive.
The likes of Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Perez, Liam Lawson and most recently Yuki Tsunoda have all fallen victim to the inherent ‘sensitivity’ of the Red Bull cars.
That said, a crude wake up call has been delivered to the six-time Constructors’ champions in the last year-and-a-half.
Despite winning his fourth-consecutive title, Verstappen couldn’t single-handedly secure Red Bull a third successive Constructors’ title in 2024 – with McLaren winning it for the first time since 1998.
In 2025, the Dutchman lost out to Lando Norris in the fight for the Drivers’ title by two points at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, and the Woking-based squad wrapped up its double.
Looking ahead to the latest era of F1, Red Bull needs to decide whether it prioritises both its drivers – meaning a more neutral development approach – or bank on Hadjar lifting the ‘curse’ on its second seat.
Hadjar confident to surpass F1 predecessors at Red Bull
The French-Algerian driver delivered a break-out rookie season with sister team Racing Bulls in 2025. The 21-year-old even registered a podium in his maiden season at Zandvoort.
Many believe that Hadjar can drive around the RB22’s quirks if the team decide to go down a similar development path to that of the ground effects era – none more so than Hadjar himself.
“I think I’m pretty decent at adapting, so I’m actually confident,” asserted the 21-year-old.
“It’s not the same car at all next year. So that’s it. We’re going to get the car we have. The team is going to build this car. I have to adapt to that car, and Max will have to do the same job.
“If the car goes into one direction, at least I’ll be there to feel the change. And ideally, I contribute to that change. So, you know, that would be the ideal scenario.
“I’ve never repeated, every year. I’ve always competed in different cars, so I don’t know what it’s like doing twice the same thing, the same job. So I think I’m pretty decent at adapting, so I’m actually confident.”
READ MORE – Red Bull outlines its expectations for Isack Hadjar in F1 2026