Isack Hadjar has extended his contract at Red Bull for another year and will be Max Verstappen’s team-mate for a second season in 2027; watch Thursday’s practice sessions for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at 9.30am and 1pm, live on Sky Sports F1 By Nigel Chiu in Baku Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Red Bull have confirmed Isack Hadjar will remain as Max Verstappen’s team-mate for the 2027 Formula 1 season. Hadjar stepped up to Red Bull at the start of this year after an impressive debut campaign with Racing Bulls in 2025 but has missed the last three rounds due to a wrist injury he suffered during last month’s summer break. But the 21-year-old is now fit enough to drive and is back at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which takes place on Saturday – live on Sky Sports F1. Red Bull had already announced last month that four-time world champion Verstappen signed a new contract to stay at the team until at least the end of 2030.
“We’re very excited to continue our journey with Isack. Since joining us at the start of the year, he has been superb on and off track, especially considering this is only his second Formula 1 season, which made extending his contract an easy decision,” said Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies. “From the very beginning, Isack immersed himself in the team, spending every minute at the factory with his engineers to develop the car, always eager to learn and improve. “You could see from that first weekend in Melbourne that he handled the step up with remarkable composure and had earned his place in this seat.” Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The second Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen is widely regarded as the toughest on the F1 grid after several drivers including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda all struggled against the Dutchman.
But, Hadjar has been closer to Verstappen than those drivers and has even got the better of his team-mate at times this season, so his seat has not come under scrutiny. Despite missing the last three race weekends, Hadjar is still eighth in the Drivers’ Championship and reclaimed his Monaco Grand Prix podium after Red Bull and McLaren successfully appealed Gasly’s overturned speeding penalties. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player “The period since his injury has been a difficult one for Isack, but this extension is a testament to how much we believe in him and we can’t wait to see him back out on track,” continued Mekies. “We still have a lot we want to achieve this season, but it’s a great feeling to know that the drivers, engineers and everyone back at the factory are all heading in the same direction, committed and together.” Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater:”Hadjar has been out for the last three rounds because he damaged his arm and wrist.
I understand that was done by hitting a heavy bag in training because he does boxing in training.”But he has recovered, he is taking part this weekend, and he will be Max Verstappen’s partner in 2027.”Hadjar will be continuing with Red Bull. Liam Lawson deputised very well in his absence but nobody was surprised that Hadjar gets the nod to carry on.”He has probably been Verstappen’s most competitive teammate since Daniel Ricciardo left a few years ago.” Hadjar added: “I am really excited to continue with Oracle Red Bull Racing. I came to this team eight months ago and immediately understood the scale and ambition of this organisation. “There are so many talented people at the factory, and you’re aware of the privilege of driving for such an incredible team alongside a four-time world champion like Max.
“From the moment I signed, I set out to dedicate myself to the team, and with the support of Laurent and everyone in Milton Keynes, I’ve been able to justify the faith they’ve had in me. I’m constantly looking to listen, learn and push myself further every single day about what lies ahead. F1’s current top four teams – Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have now all locked in their driver line-ups for 2027 with no changes. Alpine, Williams and Cadillac’s drivers are all under contract for 2027 while Audi are set to keep their pairing of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.
That leaves Racing Bulls, Haas and Aston Martin as the only teams yet to nail down their drivers for next year – but there could be changes. Fernando Alonso is considering his future in the sport and is the biggest stumbling block in the driver market because if he retires, Aston Martin will have a seat available. Alonso says news “will not come soon” as he’s unhappy with the current regulations in F1 which led to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem commenting he wants to accelerate the deficit of Aston Martin’s engine supplier Honda. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Britain’s Oliver Bearman is set to stay at Haas but his team-mate Esteban Ocon is driving for his future after a difficult start to the season.
Although Ocon has improved since the summer break, Haas may give Ferrari junior Rafael Camara his F1 debut for 2027 after an impressive F2 campaign for the Brazilian. The current F2 championship leader is Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov and history shows Red Bull are keen to give youngsters an F1 opportunity at the earliest opportunity. However, Red Bull have a tricky decision to make as both current Racing Bulls drivers of Arvid Lindblad and Lawson are performing very well this year, so dropping one of them would be harsh. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Thursday September 246.55am: F2 Practice9am: Azerbaijan GP Practice One (session starts at 9.30am)*10.55am: F2 Qualifying*12pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Practice Two (session starts at 1pm)2.15pm: The F1 Show Friday September 255.10am: F2 Sprint*9.15am: Azerbaijan GP Practice Three (session starts at 9.30am)*11.10am: F2 Feature Race 1*12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Qualifying build-up*1PM: AZERBAIJAN GP QUALIFYING*3pm: Ted’s Qualifying NotebookSaturday September 267.55am: F2 Feature Race 210.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*12PM: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction*3pm: Ted’s Notebook* *also live on Sky Sports Main Event Racing on a Saturday!
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 this week as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races, with the Baku race taking place on Saturday at midday.
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