More than half the F1 grid were out of contract at the end of the 2024 season. This year is a completely different story.
The driver market was thrown into chaos last year when Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari. Following the seismic transfer, several teams flocked up and down the paddock to secure their drivers for the future.
10 driver transfers have occurred for the upcoming season, with six new full-time drivers joining the grid. This is a sharp contrast to 2024, where no new drivers joined the field from the end of the previous year – the first time that happened in F1 history.
Many teams of the grid have looked for the future with their drivers, signing them to long-term contracts ahead of the regulation change in 2026.
However, six drivers only have deals until the end of 2025. Both Mercedes and Racing Bulls’ drivers are out of contract, as well as Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Alpine’s Jack Doohan.
According to a report from ESPN, one of those six drivers may have been signed for 2025 because the team ‘ran out of other options’ – it does not spell good news for his future.
Racing Bulls may have signed Isack Hadjar because ‘they ran out of other options’
Red Bull have promoted Isack Hadjar to F1 after finishing runner-up to fellow rookie Gabriel Boetoleto in F2 last season. The Frenchman will partner with Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, with the £965m-valued team looking to improve on their eighth-place finish last year.
Hadjar was the last driver to have his seat confirmed for 2025. His chance was afforded to him after Red Bull sacked Sergio Perez, opening the door for Lawson to replace him and the 20-year-old to take the Kiwi driver’s seat at Racing Bulls.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know
The Frenchman is a talented driver who warrants his place in F1. However, Red Bull may not have had another choice but to promote Hadjar.
In the report, Hadjar is a ‘complete wildcard’ in 2025 given his F2 was ‘inconsistent’ – albeit much of that was down to his machinery letting him down with mechanical issues.
However, it is currently ‘unclear’ whether Red Bull believed he was worthy of a promotion to F1 or if ‘they ran out of other options’. Judging by the Milton Keynes outfit’s current crop of drivers, Hadjar was their best option besides recruiting from other teams.
Should Isack Hadjar be worried about Red Bull signing the ‘next Max Verstappen?
Hadjar showed ‘monstrous’ pace to delight his engineers in a private test at Imola in the VCARB 02. Racing Bulls will hope – or demand – he keeps up that speed in 2025.
Red Bull is notorious for being cutthroat with its drivers, dropping them promptly if they fail to deliver the results. Hadjar could be the next – and his one-year contract shows he does not have much time to prove himself.
It seems that Red Bull may already have his replacement lined up. Arvid Lindblad is being prepared to serve as the team’s reserve driver, with the Brit already acquiring enough superlicense points to race in F1.
Lindblad could make his debut this season if Red Bull so desired, spurring bad news for Hadjar if he fails to produce strong results.
F3 talent Nikola Tsolov is being labelled the ‘next Max Verstappen’ after his ‘unstoppable’ run in testing. If Red Bull did not have the options before signing Hadjar, they certainly now have the drivers to replace him.
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