Isack Hadjar is proving to be Max Verstappen's most competitive teammate at Red Bull Racing in quite a while, and the numbers back it up completely. The French driver's first season alongside the four-time world champion shows he's got what it takes to handle life at the front of the grid. After four different teammates in two years, Hadjar's stuck around and is delivering results that have caught everyone's attention.

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Here's the thing that really stands out. Sergio Perez was getting beaten by over a second a lap in qualifying on average, posting a deficit of plus 1.201 seconds to Verstappen. Then Liam Lawson lasted just two races before getting benched, and Yuki Tsunoda followed with a similar story after lasting until the end of 2025. Tsunoda's gap was plus 1.153 seconds in qualifying. Hadjar? He's sitting at plus 0.237 seconds through eleven races this season. That's nearly a second better than what came before, and it's genuinely impressive stuff.

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What makes this even more interesting is that Red Bull isn't expecting Hadjar to beat Verstappen. They just want comparable data and for him to stay within three tenths on his best qualifying laps. Mission accomplished. The team's brass have been clear about their expectations, and Hadjar's delivering exactly what they're asking for. Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has even called his qualifying pace remarkable, which tells you something about how well he's performing.

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So far this season has been a mixed bag for the team overall, but Hadjar's personal performances have been rock solid. With the second half of the year coming up, he'll be hoping to grab that first podium in Red Bull colours or maybe even push for a maiden Grand Prix victory if the package comes together. Either way, he's already proven he belongs here alongside one of the grid's greatest drivers.

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