Formula 1 will have six full-time rookies on the grid in 2025 as the new generation arrives on the eve of new regulations.
Teams like Red Bull are preparing for the future by making significant driver moves to give their junior drivers experience at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls before things get serious.
It worked in favour of Liam Lawson last year, who is now Max Verstappen’s teammate at the senior team, and Isack Hadjar will be hoping for a similar outcome in the future after signing a deal to fill the void left by the Kiwi.
The Formula 2 runner-up had his promotion confirmed after the Abu Dhabi post-season test in December and was the last member of the 2025 grid to be announced.
Hadjar admitted he’s only comparing himself to the ‘great’ Yuki Tsunoda in 2025 and is aiming to learn a great deal from the Japanese driver, who has four years of experience with his new team.
Tsunoda’s ‘most likely’ F1 role in 2026 is as Aston Martin reserve driver after he was snubbed for promotion to Red Bull, and he may see no future with the organisation if he wants to win soon.
Isack Hadjar only received messages from two F1 drivers after Racing Bulls promotion
Having Tsunoda as a teammate will pose challenges for the young Frenchman. He’s coming up against a driver who has led and been a part of the development of their current car for the last four years.
With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, upgrades won’t be too important this season as they focus their efforts on starting well next year.
With 24 races in the campaign, Hadjar thinks he faces a ‘stupid’ challenge to get used to Racing Bulls’ car before the season opener in Melbourne.
READ MORE: Isack Hadjar just achieved one ‘extreme’ feat in very first Racing Bulls test
After ending 2024 with a car capable of competing for points inconsistently, the Faenza-based outfit will be hoping that they have managed to make progress over the winter.
It was over the winter that Hadjar found out he would be driving in Formula 1 this season, to which he received few words of congratulations from his new rivals.
“Pierre, because we know each other,” he said. “Then there were the young people who came up with me. But otherwise, old-timers who are [there for a while], no, there wasn’t. There was Piastri, but that was all.”
Isack Hadjar will be under pressure from Arvid Lindblad ‘fairly quickly’ in 2025
Red Bull have proven that they have a knack for discovering generational talent after unearthing the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen over the last 20 years.
They’ve got their sights set on the future, and their academy is filled with plenty of prospects, including Hadjar, who they have high hopes for.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko has made a Red Bull junior move that suggests Isack Hadjar’s F1 seat is already in doubt
There’s one rising star who they are particularly interested in that could place Hadjar under pressure ‘fairly quickly’ in 2025 if he performs well.
After winning the Formula Regional Oceania Championship recently, Arvid Lindblad now has enough FIA Super Licence points to compete at the highest level if he gets the call.
The 17-year-old would become the second-youngest driver in the sport’s history and could be the key to Red Bull’s Verstappen succession plan.
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