Lewis Hamilton Drops Hard Truths on Red Bull’s Latest Recruit

Let’s be real for a second: getting a seat at Red Bull Racing is like winning the lottery, except the prize money comes with a distinct possibility of a public meltdown and a career that ends faster than a Ferrari pit stop strategy meeting. The latest name to be thrown into the energy drink grinder? Isack Hadjar. The young Frenchman is officially joining Max Verstappen for the 2026 season, and while everyone is popping champagne, Lewis Hamilton is over here acting like the concerned uncle at a family barbecue who knows way too much family gossip.

Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion didn’t hold back his thoughts on Red Bull’s notorious habit of chewing up drivers and spitting them out. And honestly? He’s not wrong.

The “Red Bull Meat Grinder” Effect

We’ve all seen the show before. A talented young driver gets the call-up to the big team, smiles for the cameras, and then spends the next 12 months looking like they’ve seen a ghost every time they look at the telemetry data. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Daniil Kvyat—the list of casualties is long enough to fill a cemetery plot.

Hamilton, who is just trying to survive his own drama-filled transition to Ferrari, pointed out the obvious elephant in the paddock. While he praised Hadjar, calling the rookie’s performance this year “phenomenal,” he also threw some serious shade at the team culture in Milton Keynes.

“We all know what happens when people go to Red Bull and the environment that you’re thrown into,” Hamilton told F1 TV. “Obviously I’ve not been there so I can’t tell from experience, but looking from the outside it’s obviously quite difficult.”

Translation: “Good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it.”

It’s a fair assessment. Being Max Verstappen’s teammate is arguably the worst job in sports right now. You are expected to be perfect, but not too perfect, lest you upset the golden boy. And if you fail? Dr. Helmut Marko will likely roast you in the press before you’ve even taken your helmet off.

Justice for Yuki?

Hamilton also took a moment to pour one out for Yuki Tsunoda. Despite driving his heart out and basically carrying the sister team on his back for stretches of the season, Yuki got passed over for the big promotion yet again. Instead, he’s being shuffled into a reserve role while Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad take the Racing Bulls seats.

Hamilton called Yuki an “amazing driver” and noted that the recurring theme of talented drivers failing at Red Bull suggests the problem isn’t the talent—it’s the team. “Every driver that goes there has this general experience. But it doesn’t mean those drivers aren’t great. It’s clearly something else,” Hamilton said. “So I just hope that there are changes made that provide [Hadjar] with the right support.”

That is a polite way of saying, “Fix your toxic workplace, Christian Horner.”

Hadjar Knows What’s Coming

To his credit, Isack Hadjar doesn’t seem to be walking into this with his eyes closed. The kid actually sounds terrifyingly self-aware about the beatdown that awaits him. When asked about teaming up with Max, Hadjar basically admitted he expects to get crushed initially.

“The goal is to accept that I’m going to be slower the first month,” Hadjar told the media. “And I think that if you go into that mindset, you accept already, it’s going to be very tough. Looking at the data and seeing things you can’t achieve yet, it’s going to be very frustrating.”

That is a bold strategy. Usually, drivers come in talking about fighting for wins. Hadjar is coming in talking about damage control. It’s actually refreshing, albeit a little sad.

The Bottom Line

Hamilton saying he’s “not worried” about Hadjar’s promotion is classic Lewis—supportive but detached. He’s got his own problems to worry about (like figuring out how Italian coffee machines work at Maranello next year). But his warning stands. Red Bull has a shiny new toy for 2026, and history suggests they might break it just to see how it works.

Let’s hope Hadjar has thick skin. Or at least a good therapist.