Isack Hadjar is graduating to Formula 1 for the 2025 season with Racing Bulls to partner Yuki Tsunoda after a superb junior career of consistent victories.
The Frenchman is replacing Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, and the Kiwi is moving up to the main Red Bull team with the unenviable task of partnering Max Verstappen.
Racing Bulls have a history of developing young talent as Red Bull’s junior team, and both Verstappen and Lawson refined their skills at the Italian outfit.
Hadjar is very quick and challenged for the championship in Formula 3 and FIA F2 in the final round of the season. He may need to calm down, though, as Dr Helmut Marko urged Hadjar to control his emotions.
The Formula 2 runner-up was superb over the season but narrowly missed out on the title as he stalled in the final round at Abu Dhabi.
Hadjar has had some more difficult moments throughout his junior career but the Frenchman is adamant they made him a better driver.
Isack Hadjar had a ‘rotten’ moment in his debut Formula 2 season
Hadjar was immediately on pace when he moved into a new championship, as he won races in his first season of French F4 and FRECA.
This continued in FIA F3, but his first season in Formula 2 last year was much more challenging with the Hitech team.
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He finished 14th in the championship and was well off the pace compared to Theo Porchaire and Frederik Vesti, who fought for the title.
Hadjar explained how difficult 2023 was but insisted it made him a better driver as he prepared to step up to Formula 1.
In June 2024, he told FT Sports of his ‘rotten’ season: “In our careers, we don’t have time to sit down and learn. In fact, you [only] have time to win. Otherwise, you can be fired, and you can lose your seat.
“You can end up in other categories if we don’t have optimal learning. If I arrive in F1, for example, in 2025 or 2026, it doesn’t matter what Isack did at Hitech [in 2023].”
Getting to Formula 1 is very difficult, given the money involved and the multiple years of consistently winning to have an opportunity.
It is even harder to stay there with only 20 drivers on the grid and many young talents desperately trying to make an impression in the junior series.
Isack Hadjar will have to learn many new tracks next season at RB
Hadjar will kick off his Formula 1 career at the Australian Grand Prix next season and is immediately being tasked with learning new tracks.
He has raced at Albert Park in Formula 2 and won the Feature Race there this year, which should give him a boost of confidence.
Other venues, such as the Shanghai International Circuit in China and Suzuka in Japan, will be more difficult as the Racing Bulls driver hasn’t raced there.
These events will require a lot of management in practice to work up to the limit and avoid any rookie errors that may damage the car.
He has competed in just four FP1 sessions over the past couple of years, while Oliver Bearman was scheduled to drive in six for Haas in 2024 alone.
As well as the new tracks, Hadjar may be seen as a similar character to Tsunoda, who can be lively on the radio at times, which may be a sign of inexperience.
