After a disappointing season for Sergio Perez, Red Bull decided to part ways with the Mexican. They chose Liam Lawson to fill their second seat in the Red Bull. This left an opening to be filled to partner Yuki Tsunoda at VCARB.
After leaving the decision to remove Perez until after the season, most big names had already secured a seat for 2025. So Red Bull chose to keep it in-house and picked Isack Hadjar, a Red Bull junior, to join VCARB.
Where is Isack Hadjar from?
Isack Hadjar, 20, was born in Paris, France, to an Algerian family. The youngster has citizenship in both France and Algeria and decided to race under the French flag.
His father was a go-kart mechanic and Hadjar was given his first kart when he was seven. He started competitive kart racing in 2012 at a national level before moving up to international racing in 2017.
Isack Hadjar strong in junior categories
Isack Hadjar debuted in single-seater racing in 2019 when he joined the French F4 championship. In a good first season, the Frenchman finished seventh in the standings and had a win to his name. He spent another year in this category and improved to finish third in the standings, taking three wins and eleven podiums.
Is̶a̶c̶k̶ ❌ I hired ✅#F1 #VCARB #IsackHadjar pic.twitter.com/eEgbI9qB3w
— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) December 20, 2024
The 2021 season saw Hadjar move to another category where finished fifth in the Formula Regional European Championship. Alongside this category, he also raced in the F3 Asian Championship but wasn’t as successful.
In 2022, Hadjar signed up for the Red Bull junior program. He impressed during his stint in F3, where he finished fourth and claimed three victories. He also had a good season in the Formula Regional Asian Championship, finishing third overall. His strong season saw him promoted to F2.
Isack Hadjar’s impressive F2 campaign
In his debut season in F2, the 20-year-old was cutting his teeth. He secured his first podium in the Austrian sprint race and finished in P14 in a fairly uncompetitive car. His teammate Zac Crawford finished just two points ahead of the Frenchman.
LIGHTS OUT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP DECIDER!!!⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
DRAMA AT THE START! 😱😱😱
Gabriel Bortoleto takes the race lead into the first turn!
But disaster for Isack Hadjar as he stalls and doesn’t get away!#F2 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/pMhsa6Bwbu
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) December 8, 2024
Hadjar’s second season saw him fight to the end for the championship. He took four wins and stood on the podium eight times. Going into the season finale, he was just four points behind his main rival Gabriel Bortoleto. However, he stalled off the line and finished last in the race. However, he showed real progression in the 2024 season and earned his call-up to F1.
Does Isack Hadjar have any F1 experience?
Hadjar drove F1 cars in the 2023 and 2024 seasons for both the main Red Bull team and the junior AlphaTauri/VCARB team. He debuted during FP1 at the Mexico GP in 2023, driving the Alpha Tauri. Hadjar then stepped into the Red Bull for FP1 at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Look out, Lance! Isack Hadjar takes evasive action in FP1 😮
Watch all the key moments from a lively first practice session 🎥#F1 #AbuDhabiGP
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 24, 2023
The 2024 season saw Hadjar drive the RB20 during FP1 sessions at Silverstone and Abu Dhabi. He was also promoted to Red Bull reserve driver after Liam Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo. Hadjar also impressed when he drove the RB20 in the post-season test, outpacing experienced new teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Hadjar will have quite the big boots to fill, taking up Lawson’s place.
