Isack Hadjar said he is “stepping into a whole new universe” as a Formula 1 driver with Racing Bulls, which brings with it a “huge learning curve”.

Hadjar suffered disappointment in the Abu Dhabi Formula 2 title decider after a stall off the line in the feature race ended his hopes and Gabriel Bortoleto racing on to clinch the crown by 22.5 points, with Hadjar declaring it the “worst moment of my life”. But now, he has enjoyed arguably his best as he was confirmed on the F1 2025 grid.

Isack Hadjar lands F1 2025 Racing Bulls seat

With Liam Lawson moving up to Red Bull for F1 2025 to partner Max Verstappen – following the exit of Sergio Perez – the Lawson void at Racing Bulls will be filled by Hadjar, who has secured his promotion from F2 to F1.

The 20-year-old Frenchman – a member of the Red Bull driver programme since 2022 – will partner the vastly more experienced Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, the Japanese racer readying to embark on his fifth season with the Red Bull second team.

Hadjar is no stranger to F1 machinery, having appeared in four FP1 sessions across the 2023 and 2024 seasons – once with AlphaTauri and three times with Red Bull – but he acknowledges an F1 2025 seat as a major step up, one which he believes Tsunoda will play an important role in helping him manage.

“I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning,” said Hadjar.

Explained: The key players at Red Bull

👉 Inside Red Bull: Christian Horner and the other major players in Red Bull’s hierarchy

👉 Helmut Marko: The Red Bull motorsport boss with a fearsome reputation

“The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I’ve been working towards my whole life, it is the dream.

“I feel like I’m stepping into a whole new universe, driving a much faster car and racing with the best drivers in the world. It’ll be a huge learning curve, but I’m ready to work hard and do the best I can for the team.

“I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki, I’ve always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull Junior Program, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.”

Read next – Ranked: All 11 F1 team bosses with a surprise top-three entry