One of the 2025 F1 rookie intake, Isack Hadjar has taken the promotion to racing’s top tier in his stride, despite a very public slip-up in his very first race.
The Frenchman was part of the Red Bull Junior programme and finished second in the 2024 Formula 2 championship before signing for Racing Bulls, taking the seat left by Liam Lawson.
He qualified 11th in his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on a top ten place, but never started the race after spinning out on a wet and slippery parade lap and stepping out of the car in tears.
The second round in China proved more successful: Hadjar qualified seventh, ahead of his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, and was unlucky to miss out on a points finish after a flawed team strategy. His performances are already being compared favourably to Lawson’s struggles at Red Bull.
Hadjar’s journey to F1 has been described as “outstanding” by team boss Laurent Mekies, who expects Hadjar to continue to make a “significant impact” in 2025.
Isack Hadjar’s early karting career
In a story that will make many fans feel old, Hadjar says that he was inspired to race by watching the Disney film Cars. He was watching F1 races from the age of six, and go his first kart a year later. “My grandparents and parents are mainly doctors or physicists so they have nothing to do with motor sport but my dad always watched F1, said Hadjar. This love for racing just came by myself.”
He won his on his kart racing debut in September 2012 and progressed up the ladder, moving to single-seaters in 2019.
A winner in Formula 4
Hadjar’s first season in the French Formula 4 championship saw him win at Spa Francorchamps and finish seventh in the 2019 standings, paving the way for a title bid in 2020. But despite a strong run of results, including three victories at Paul Ricard and a further eight podium finishes, he ended the year third, behind championship winner and future co-Red Bull Junior driver Ayumu Iwasa, as well as Ren Sato.
Red Bull spots Hadjar’s potential
He moved up to the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in 2021 and looked instantly at home, finishing seventh on his debut at Imola, followed by a podium finish at the second race weekend in Barcelona.
Then in Monaco, Hadjar well and truly set the course for his Formula 1 future with pole, fastest lap and victory in the first race, followed by a second-place finish in race 2.
“For the first time in the season, I dominated,” said Hadjar. “I had a great start and started pulling away after 2 laps setting fastest laps almost every single lap to create a gap of 6 seconds just before the safety car. Had a great restart and pulled another gap of 7 seconds, I just had so much fun as I had the Monte-Carlo streets just for me for 30min!”
That drive caught the eye of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who signed Hadjar to the team’s junior programme. Hadjar went on to record another victory in FRECA and finished the season fifth, ahead of Franco Colapinto.
Progression through Formula 3 and Formula 2
Hadjar stepped up to Formula 3 in 2022 and won his very first race: the sprint in Bahrain. Further victories at Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring helped him to fourth in the championship, which featured the likes of Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Zane Maloney and that year’s chamnpion Victor Martins.
Formula 2 beckoned for 2023 and the rapid promotion challenged Hadjar, who finished 14th in his debut year. By then, he had already taken part in his first F1 practice session, at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
He remained in Formula 2 for 2024, switching to Campos Racing and his form reignited. His maiden win in the series came in the Australian feature race, and that was followed by wins at Imila, Silverstone and Spa. He and Gabriel Bortoleto took the title down to the wire at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. But the finale didn’t turn out to be as grand as hoped, as Hadjar’s engine died on the starting grid of the feature race, handing his rival the title.
Promotion to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls
Red Bull had seen enough from Hadjar to believe he was F1 material and he got the chance to prove it when Sergio Perez was dropped from Red Bull. Liam Lawson was promoted from sister team Racing Bulls, which left a vacancy for Hadjar, who was next in line from the junior programme.
“The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula 1 is the moment I’ve been working towards my whole life,” he said. ” 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.”
Despite the mistake in Melbourne, the 2025 season started off strongly for Hadjar, who will be looking to cement his place on the grid with further impressive results and a contract for 2026.
