Isack Hadjar has admitted he suffered a “culture shock” when he stepped up to Red Bull this year.
The Frenchman enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2025, prompting Red Bull to promote him to the senior squad and pair him up with Max Verstappen.
Hadjar's first campaign in F1 peaked with a run to third place at the Dutch Grand Prix and coupled with the struggles of Yuki Tsunoda, he became an obvious replacement for the Japanese driver.
But having just settled into life at the sister team, Hadjar admitted there were adjustments he needed to make when he joined Red Bull.
“That was definitely a culture shock,” he told the Talking Bulls podcast. “You go from more of a family team, Italian team to [a] British [one]. It's definitely different.
“But VCARB, they helped me massively in my first year. They're used to having young drivers to prepare for the main seat.”
However, Hadjar had been part of the Red Bull junior programme for several years, which eased his shift into the front-running squad.
“I would say a transition to Red Bull... it's not like I went, like Lewis from Mercedes to Ferrari,” he said.
“I've been in the junior team since 2021. I've been having FP1 tests, junior testing.
“So I'm working with Woody [Richard Wood, race engineer] this year, but I had my first FP1 outing with him already three years ago.
“For me, it's kind of natural to be there.”
Originally published by RacingNews365 —
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