It’s not just the fight for the world championship title that offers high excitement in the remaining three Formula 1 races. With Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, three drivers want to offer themselves for the cockpit alongside Max Verstappen. Former team boss and RTL expert Günther Steiner now made a recommendation.
Former Haas team boss Günther Steiner advises Red Bull to promote its rookie Isack Hadjar.
“I would Isack Hadjar [in den zweiten Red Bull] set,” emphasized the 60-year-old in an exclusive interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de before the Grand Prix of Las Vegas (the qualifying on Saturday from 4:30 a.m. and the race on Sunday from 4:00 a.m. live on RTL).
Steiner’s reasoning: “He has shown that he is also mentally stable. If you see what happened in Australia, many people thought he was already broken when he put the car down on the formation lap.” At the time, pictures made the rounds of him being comforted by Lewis Hamilton’s father, and Red Bull motorsport consultants afterwards described the 21-year-old’s tears as “embarrassing”.
But then Hadjar quickly found himself again and “that only made him better,” says Steiner now.
From the driver’s point of view, he also advises seizing the opportunity now: “When an opportunity like this comes along, you have to take it. You can’t say: ‘I don’t want to go there because others have failed.’ It’s a challenge, but if you do it, you’re really one of the greats.”
At the same time, you have to be “careful” at Red Bull, emphasized Steiner: “Many people felt ready, but failed because of Max.”
Max Verstappen beats his teammates in spades
In recent years, numerous drivers have tried in vain to establish themselves sustainably alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. The Dutchman was too dominant and won the last four world titles in a row for good reason. In 2024, his lead over his then teammate Sergio Perez was an incredible 285 points – which ultimately led to the racing team ending its collaboration with the Mexican and taking a new path.
At the start of the season, the up-and-coming Formula 1 talent Liam Lawson was put in the car. But after just two races, the Red Bull bosses pulled the ripcord and transferred the New Zealander to the sister team Racing Bulls. Instead, after years of waiting, the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda got the chance. He is 215 points behind the current World Cup third place.
While Tsunoda has collected little self-promotion for staying in the Red Bull cockpit in 2025, the chances for rookie Isack Hadjar shouldn’t be too bad. The 21-year-old Frenchman has already finished in the points nine times – and even made it to the podium for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix in third place.