There will be a lot of pressure on Isack Hadjar when he makes his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls when the 2025 F1 season kicks off in Melbourne.
The Frenchman is one of a handful of rookies who will be making their full-time debuts next season, having become the final driver to be announced by a team.
Hadjar’s chance came after Sergio Perez was finally dropped by Red Bull, following a difficult 2024 season for the Mexican in which he finished eighth in the Drivers’ Championship and 285 points behind Max Verstappen in the third fastest car.
In a reshuffle of drivers, Liam Lawson will race alongside Verstappen at Red Bull which gave Hadjar a chance to be promoted from F2 to Racing Bulls.
His season in F2 last year was solid, even having the chance to snatch the title from Gabriel Bortoleto in the final round had he not stalled in the final race, but Hadjar has admitted that he is nervous over his debut.
In his first test with Racing Bulls at Imola this week, the Frenchman impressed by doing one thing according to a report by Motorsport.it, which might worry teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Isack Hadjar showed ‘extreme consistency’ during first Racing Bulls test
Tsunoda is the more experienced driver of the pair and is expected to lead the team next year, but for Hadjar it is a chance to prove that he has what it takes to be promoted should Red Bull want to make changes in the future.
Hadjar has been told he will have pressure from upcoming rookie Arvid Lindblad, and Red Bull is known for being cut throat on its drivers.
The initial test at Imola was a great proving ground for Hadjar, given the tricky weather conditions that fell on the track. Fog engulfed the track early in the morning with temperatures around five degrees, with Hadjar hitting the track on full wet tyres.
According to the report, Hadjar was posting lap times in the high 1:34s having clocked up 82 laps. The rookie impressed with his ‘extreme consistency’ and showed ‘mastery’ of the car without making any mistakes in the low grip conditions.
Red Bull keen to emphasise strength of junior programme
Amid rumours that Verstappen could be tempted to join another team before his long term agreement that runs until 2028 with Red Bull is up, there have been questions over what will be next after the Dutchman.
There is currently no driver that is hyped as much as Verstappen was coming through the Red Bull junior programme, although it is worth noting that it took the Dutchman six seasons in F1 before he could challenge for a title.
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Red Bull’s policy on drivers is that they have to perform under pressure otherwise they could face an early exit. This is what happened to Pierre Gasly, Daniil Kvyat, and Alex Albon – all capable drivers who have found refuge at other teams.
Tsunoda will be a great benchmark for Hadjar and will help Red Bull gauage whether he is the real deal and can potentially step up to the works team if required.
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