Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar belongs to a generation of drivers who reached Formula 1 via the traditional route through European junior championships, Formula 3 and Formula 2. Born in Paris on 28 September 2004, the Frenchman did not win a major international championship during his junior career, but steadily proved himself through his speed, results and ability to adapt to increasingly powerful cars. His career is also closely tied to Red Bull’s programme, which supported him from the junior categories through to one of Formula 1’s most prestigious seats.

From Cars to his first kart

Hadjar’s fascination with cars began at a very early age. He has recalled that the animated film Cars was one of his earliest inspirations. Watching Formula 1 with his father then fuelled that interest. At five, he tried a children’s kart for the first time and, although the speed and vibrations initially caught him off guard, he quickly realised that racing was what he wanted to do.

A year later, he began driving more regularly and gradually moved into competitive karting. His early career was very much a family project. His father acted as his mechanic in those first years, and Hadjar later admitted that he had no conventional driver coach during his karting days. He therefore learnt a great deal through observation and trial and error.

The journey was not easy financially either. Hadjar has spoken openly about his parents having to find sponsors and make considerable efforts to keep him in motorsport. The situation only changed significantly once he came under Red Bull’s wing.

First steps in single-seaters

Hadjar made the move into single-seaters through French Formula 4. He gained his first experience in the 2019 season, before taking a significant step forward in performance in 2020. He finished third overall in the French F4 championship and proved capable of winning races.

It was during this period that Hadjar showed he could keep pace with drivers who would also go on to progress towards the highest levels of single-seater racing. Third place in the championship also opened the door to the European scene.

In 2021, he entered the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. He finished the season fifth, with a standout moment coming in Monaco. His performance on the streets of the principality played an important role in the next stage of his career.

Hadjar later described the Monaco weekend as one of the key moments of his life. It was around this time that he caught the attention of Helmut Marko and the Red Bull Junior Team programme. For a family that had largely funded and organised his career themselves up to that point, Red Bull’s support marked a fundamental change.

Red Bull Junior Team and Formula 3

Hadjar joined a system designed to identify and prepare drivers for Formula 1. The Red Bull Junior Team had previously helped several future grand prix winners and world champions reach the top of motorsport, and Hadjar was now expected to deliver results in the leading junior categories.

Before his main European programme, he also gained experience in Asian Formula Regional racing. He finished third in the Asian series in 2021 and also contested the renamed Formula Regional Asian Championship at the start of the 2022 season.

The biggest challenge of 2022, however, was FIA Formula 3. Hadjar joined Hitech Grand Prix and immediately established himself as a frontrunner in his rookie season. He took three wins, five podium finishes and a pole position over the course of the campaign.

He finished fourth in the final standings. The title eluded him, but his performances were convincing enough that he did not need another year in Formula 3. Red Bull promoted him straight to Formula 2.

A difficult first season in Formula 2

The 2023 season presented Hadjar with his first major test on the road to Formula 1. He stayed with Hitech in FIA Formula 2, but could not build on the previous season’s results.

Competing against drivers one step below F1, he finished 14th in the championship. He secured a podium, but the season did not deliver the results Red Bull had expected of him. Nevertheless, he remained part of the junior programme and was given another opportunity.

The year was significant for another reason, too. Hadjar took part in an official Formula 1 race weekend for the first time. He drove in Friday practice for the then-AlphaTauri team in Mexico and later received further opportunities behind the wheel with Red Bull’s teams.

For the first time, the dream that had begun while watching Formula 1 as a child was within touching distance of reality.

A second chance and a Formula 2 title challenge

Hadjar opted for a change of scenery for the 2024 season, moving to Campos Racing. It proved to be a hugely important step.

The Frenchman established himself as one of the championship’s leading contenders. He won four races and was particularly successful in the main Sunday races. His victories included wins at classic circuits such as Imola, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

He was a serious title contender for much of the season. The championship was ultimately decided at the Abu Dhabi finale, where he fought Gabriel Bortoleto for the crown. A problem at the start of the final race severely compromised Hadjar’s chances, and he finished second in the championship.

Although he ended his junior career without an F3 or F2 title, the 2024 season demonstrated his ability to fight for top honours at the highest level of junior single-seater racing. Alongside that campaign, he was already working as a reserve driver for Red Bull’s teams.

At the end of the year came the reward towards which almost his entire career had been building: a full-time Formula 1 seat.

A dramatic introduction to Formula 1

Hadjar joined Racing Bulls for the 2025 season. His first race weekend, however, began in a way he would certainly not have chosen for his debut.

The track was wet ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, and Hadjar lost control of his car and crashed on the formation lap. He therefore failed to start what should have been his first Formula 1 race.

The setback in Melbourne did not define his rookie season, however. He scored his first Formula 1 points at the third round of the year in Japan and gradually established himself as a regular contender for top-10 finishes.

Sixth place in Monaco was a strong result, but his biggest success came at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Hadjar qualified towards the front of the grid and finished third in the race. It was his first Formula 1 podium.

He completed his rookie season with 51 points, finishing 12th in the world championship. He also helped Racing Bulls to sixth in the constructors’ championship.

Just one year at Red Bull’s sister team was enough to earn him another opportunity.

Promotion to Red Bull Racing

Ahead of the 2026 season, Red Bull announced that Hadjar would step up to the main team to become Max Verstappen’s team-mate. He replaced Yuki Tsunoda in the seat.

It was a remarkably rapid rise. Just one season separated Hadjar’s Formula 1 debut from his promotion to one of the most successful teams of the modern era.

His arrival also continued Red Bull’s tradition of regularly turning to graduates of its own junior programme when filling its seats. Hadjar became the latest driver to complete the journey from the Red Bull Junior Team, through the junior categories and Racing Bulls, to the senior outfit.

Red Bull subsequently confirmed that the partnership would continue for the 2027 season, giving Hadjar the opportunity to build a longer-term career with the team.

Family, role models and life outside the racing car

Although Hadjar’s career path had been firmly focused on motorsport since childhood, his sporting interests extend beyond motor racing.

Before karting, he took up judo at around the age of four. He progressed to brown belt, but as the demands of motorsport grew, he decided to concentrate on racing.

He also has a keen interest in boxing and combat sports. He has named Muhammad Ali among the sporting figures he admires and regularly watches major boxing bouts and MMA. Football is another of his sporting interests.

In motorsport, Lewis Hamilton was an important role model for Hadjar. He followed Hamilton’s career as a child and, once he began racing single-seaters himself, came to appreciate in particular his versatility and performances under pressure.

Hadjar also has a strong affinity with Japan. He has spoken repeatedly about Tokyo being one of his favourite places and Suzuka being among the circuits that have impressed him with both their atmosphere and the challenge they present to drivers.

Away from racing, he prefers simply spending time with friends. Amid Formula 1’s demanding travel schedule, time with those close to him is one way of switching off from motorsport for a while.

A career built on proving himself at every step

Hadjar’s route to Formula 1 differs from that of some other major talents in that it was not accompanied by a string of junior championship titles. Yet at almost every level, the Frenchman showed enough speed to earn his next step up.

He established himself among the best in French F4, caught Red Bull’s eye in Formula Regional, fought at the front in his first FIA F3 season and returned from a difficult rookie year in Formula 2 as a title contender. In Formula 1, he then overcame a troubled debut to reach the podium during his first season.

From a five-year-old boy in a children’s kart to a seat at Red Bull Racing, Hadjar’s career has been a steady progression through virtually the entire modern development system for Formula 1 drivers.

Where his story goes next will depend on how he makes use of the opportunity he has been working towards since his first laps on a karting track.