Red Bull gives Isack Hadjar 5x salary jump, but adds a killjoy clause in new contract: Reports

Isack Hadjar will race alongside Max Verstappen in 2026, ending a year of speculation around Red Bull’s second seat. A new report now outlines the financial and contractual details behind the French rookie’s promotion.

The decision answers the long-running question of who would step into the main team and what it would mean for the Red Bull/Racing Bulls' four-driver structure. Hadjar’s consistent adaptation through his rookie season, highlighted by his podium at Zandvoort, pushed him for promotion. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will lineup for Racing Bulls in 2026. Yuki Tsunoda’s slide through the year left him without a full-time drive, moving him to a reserve for both teams.

Sportune reported that Red Bull signed Hadjar to a 1+1 agreement covering 2026 and 2027, with a €6.6 million salary ($7.7M) for his first season in the main team. It is five times the amount of his Racing Bulls deal and reflects the performance jump expected of him as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar after the F1 Grand Prix of the Netherlands. Source: Getty

The contract includes a clause allowing Red Bull to send him back to the sister team if his results fall short, in which case he would earn €4.2 million. A similar condition applies for 2027, allowing the team to reduce his salary by half, depending on his form. Those terms underline how cautious Red Bull has become with emerging drivers.

The RB21 was difficult enough to prompt Isack Hadjar’s camp to insist on testing it in Abu Dhabi before signing the deal. Their past decisions explain the hesitation. The seat he inherits has rotated through seven drivers across the last decade, and Max Verstappen has taken 69 of the team’s 78 wins in the current era, setting a tough standard for any new arrival.

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RB bosses heap praise on Isack Hadjar as he looks ahead to 2026

Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane before the Mexico GP. Source: Getty

Isack Hadjar’s move comes at the end of a rookie campaign that has exceeded expectations. He crashed in his opening Grand Prix weekend but settled quickly afterward, scoring points ten times and delivering a standout podium in the Netherlands that shifted Red Bull’s long-term plans. His 51 points place him comfortably ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who sits on 30, and Liam Lawson, who has 38 but has found form only in recent rounds.

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane told F1:

"To see Isack move up to Red Bull Racing is great. It means they are happy that he is good enough and they have seen enough. I wish him all the success. He goes there full of confidence. I know he's looking forward to Abu Dhabi, to leave us on a high."

Permane expects him to benefit from working directly alongside Verstappen. Hadjar echoed that sentiment, calling the move a reward for the years he has spent developing in the Red Bull program.

"After all the hard work I have put in since joining the Junior Team, it’s such a great reward," he told F1. "I feel ready to go to Oracle Red Bull Racing, and I am happy and proud they feel the same. It’s an awesome move to work with the best, and learn from Max is something I can’t wait for."

Isack Hadjar goes to Abu Dhabi this weekend with Racing Bulls sitting on 92 points and sixth in the standings - their best finish since rebranding.