Nico Rosberg believes Isack Hadjar – or any driver – should not accept the second F1 seat at Red Bull due to Max Verstappen’s dominance at the team.
Verstappen has had six teammates during his 10 seasons at Red Bull, with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon all falling short of the Dutchman.
Sergio Perez was axed at the end of last season after three years, while Liam Lawson was dropped after just the first two races of this season. Yuki Tsunoda is his current teammate, but the Japanese driver is struggling for performance and consistency.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who has shone in his first nine races in F1, has been linked with a rapid promotion to Red Bull – but Rosberg has implored the young Frenchman to reject any future approach.
“You just say no, you do not go next to Max Verstappen,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1, in Saturday’s coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix.
“Look at Albon, how he’s performing against Sainz [at Williams], race-winner class, beating him this year. He was also six-tenths off Max every time.
“It doesn’t matter, you just say no.”
Indeed, Hadjar admitted on Thursday that he was “not ready” for the senior Red Bull outfit.
“I’m just nine races in, and it looks to be complicated when I look at Yuki and Liam, who are very quality drivers,” he said.
“So no, I’m not very ready.”
Verstappen qualified second on the grid for Sunday’s Canadian GP, with Hadjar starting in 12th after receiving a three-place grid drop due to impeding Carlos Sainz in qualifying.
Yet Tsunoda will start from the back of the grid after being handed a 10-place grid penalty as a result of a red flag infringement.
