Isack Hadjar is widely seen as the standout rookie of the 2025 Formula 1 season after delivering some impressive displays with Racing Bulls ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old will race in Florida for the first time in his fledgling career this week in round six of the 2025 Formula 1 season. It is even the first time that Hadjar has raced in America to date, having mainly raced in Europe and Asia since starting his single-seater career in 2018.
Yet, despite the Frenchman’s limited experience at some circuits and driving F1 cars, Hadjar has ‘really impressed’ Anthony Davidson. Even seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton names Hadjar as his ‘favourite’ 2025 F1 rookie after showing lots of promise at Racing Bulls.
Carlos Sainz proved Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer’s point that ‘anyone’ could crash like Isack Hadjar in Australia
Yet while Hadjar’s rookie results have ‘surprised’ Damon Hill, having scored five points over his first five rounds with Racing Bulls – including earning his first points with P8 at Suzuka – his Formula 1 career started on a less happy note after retiring at the Australian Grand Prix.
Hadjar crashed on the formation lap in Australia when the Parisian spun at Turn 2 during the wet conditions. The crash reduced the Red Bull academy product to tears, but Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer accepts it was just a ‘mistake’ and Hadjar’s crash could happen to anyone.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know
Fellow Red Bull product Carlos Sainz even proved Bayer’s point when the Spaniard crashed out of the Australian GP on the opening lap of his debut for Williams. The 30-year-old lost control of his FW47 in the last corner at Albert Park after a big torque kick while upshifting.
“I was live on Sky Germany when it happened,” Bayer has now told RacingNews365. “I said, ‘Look, this can happen to anyone’. Honestly, five seconds later, Carlos Sainz went into a wall.
“It was so slippery that day. It was particularly difficult. He was very nervous because it was his first race. I remember on the grid, seeing him before he took off, I could see his pupils. He was in the zone, and he just made a mistake.”
Peter Bayer hits back at Helmut Marko calling Isack Hadjar crying after his F1 debut crash ‘embarrassing’
Hadjar has bounced back impressively since his heartbreak on debut for Racing Bulls at the Australian GP in March. He reached Q3 for the first time at the Japanese GP before coming home in P8 and scored points again with P10 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last time out.
The Parisian’s efforts have further seen Juan Pablo Montoya name Hadjar as the ‘far away’ best 2025 F1 rookie ahead of Mercedes product Andrea Kimi Antonelli. But ‘embarrassing’ was the word Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko chose to describe Hadjar’s tears in Australia.
Marko found Hadjar’s tearful reaction to retiring in Australia ‘embarrassing’, and the French prospect agreed as he felt the same. But Bayer adds that ‘everybody’ at Racing Bulls felt for Hadjar and that the Faenza crew love that the Frenchman showed his ‘unfiltered’ emotions.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know
“I think everybody felt for him,” Bayer continued. “His reaction was raw, unfiltered, honest, and that’s what people love about him. That’s what we love about him.
“I knew I was going to have to see him, knowing he would be heartbroken, and then Stefano [Domenicali, the CEO of Formula 1] sent me a text asking where I was. I told him I was going to see Isack, and he said, ‘Can I come?’, and I said, ‘Yes, please come. It would be great’.
“We went in and he had his helmet on, and he was desperate. We told him, ‘Don’t worry, we’re here for you. Take your time and you will come back stronger’, and he has.”
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