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Isack Hadjar believes the 2026 Formula 1 regulation changes have levelled the playing field in his battle with Max Verstappen at Red Bull. The French rookie, who joined the team this season, has put together a solid first-half campaign and argues that the fresh technical ruleset has given him a better platform to learn from his four-time world champion teammate. Speaking on the Talking Bull podcast, Hadjar acknowledged Verstappen's ability to extract performance from any machinery but suggested the new regulations have offered him a rare window of opportunity.
Verstappen has systematically dismantled every teammate Red Bull has paired him with since his promotion to the senior team. Sergio Pérez, Yuki Tsunoda, Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson all struggled to match his pace, prompting widespread doubt about whether Hadjar could fare any better. Yet the 21-year-old has scored points consistently through the opening 12 rounds and sits eighth in the drivers' standings with 68 points, 41 behind Verstappen's tally of 109.
A shared learning curve
Hadjar credits the regulation reset for narrowing the gap. "That definitely helps," he told the Talking Bull podcast. "Max had complete control of the cars from recent years, the ones under the previous rules. In those cars he was truly unbeatable, so I didn't really expect him to be slow the first time he stepped into this car either. Give him four wheels and he delivers. He adapts to the material he is given."
The distinction, Hadjar argues, is that both drivers entered 2026 without prior experience of the new technical formula. "But this is new for both of us," he said. "When he takes a step, I'm there to see it and to analyse what he did differently. So it's definitely good to also be part of the car's development."
Verstappen's consistency across eras
Hadjar's comments reveal both respect and realism. Verstappen's dominance under the 2022-2025 ground-effect regulations left little room for teammates to close the performance gap. The Dutchman won three consecutive titles and set records for race wins and pole positions in machinery he had mastered over multiple seasons. Hadjar's acknowledgment that Verstappen remains formidable in unfamiliar equipment underscores the scale of the challenge, but the Frenchman appears to have identified a brief period where adaptation, rather than established superiority, defines the internal dynamic.
Red Bull's internal battle
Hadjar's debut season has defied the scepticism that surrounded his promotion. While Verstappen holds a clear points advantage and occupies sixth in the standings, the rookie's eighth-place position represents a credible showing against one of the sport's all-time greats. Red Bull will monitor the gap closely as the season progresses. If Hadjar continues to extract performance from the RB21 and narrows the deficit further, it may validate his theory that the regulation change has given him a foothold his predecessors never enjoyed.
Whether Hadjar can sustain his form once Verstappen fully optimises the new machinery remains the defining question of his rookie campaign. For now, the Frenchman appears content to treat the 2026 season as a rare learning opportunity in equal conditions.
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