What Isack Hadjar must do at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to land RB seat in 2025

The question of who will be in the second Red Bull seat in 2025 will be on everyone’s minds at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

While Max Verstappen has grabbed ninth victories and secured his fourth consecutive title in 2024, teammate Sergio Perez is enduring his worst season with Red Bull to date.

The Mexican is sat eighth in the drivers’ standings having not finished on the podium since China, or in fact the top five since Miami.

Red Bull have been weighing up their options and are considering replacing Perez before 2025 – despite having a contract until at least 2026. But the added pressure from the team has only made things worse for Perez as he has only finished above 10th once in the last seven races.

Naomi Schiff is tired of criticising Perez as he continues to have embarrassing moments in his RB20. It is looking increasingly likely that the 34-year-old will be out of the team in 2025, with RB drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda waiting for a promotion to the main team.

Isack Hadjar must perform well in FP1 and F2 in Abu Dhabi to secure the RB seat for 2025

If one of the RB drivers is moved to Red Bull, it would open the door at the Faenza squad for a rookie to take the second seat.

Franco Colapinto has been heavily linked with the team after impressing in his early races with Williams. However, after having multiple crashes in recent weeks, RB are no longer interested in Colapinto as they now look towards their current crop of drivers.

Isack Hadjar has emerged as a potential option, with the Frenchman currently fighting Gabriel Bortoleto for the F2 title.

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Hadjar will drive with Red Bull in FP1 in Abu Dhabi in place of Verstappen. According to a report from The Race, the 20-year-old has some targets to meet to secure a seat at RB next season.

The report claims that Colapinto will need a ‘big swing’ in his favour in Abu Dhabi to deny Hadjar the seat, but it seems that even beating his teammate Alex Albon would not be enough to convince Red Bull to snub one of their juniors for another driver.

If Hadjar ‘does well in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull’ in FP1 and he can have a solid final round in F2, the Milton Keynes-based outfit is ‘unlikely to veer from that course.’

How likely is it that Isack Hadjar joins RB in 2025?

Simply put, Hadjar’s future in F1 is solely dependent on whether Perez is sacked by Red Bull, which is looking more likely by the minute.

Liam Lawson is the favourite to be promoted to Red Bull from RB, which would then open the door for Hadjar to partner Tsunoda.

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The Frenchman will be desperate to improve upon his disappointing first FP1 outing with Red Bull at Silverstone, and he will be eager to impress knowing that Perez will be in the second RB20.

Hadjar will also be looking to secure the F2 title to cement his place in F1. There is just half a point between him and Bortoleto heading into Abu Dhabi.

But Hadjar may already know he is joining RB based on his change in demeanour and performance in Qatar. It may be just a matter of time before an announcement is made.