Isaac Hadjar

1. Who is Isack Hadjar?

Isack Hadjar is a French driver, born on September 28, 2004 in Paris. He has been racing in Formula 1 with Racing Bulls since 2025 after being part of the Red Bull Junior Team.

Isack Hadjar in Formula 2 in the colours of the Red Bull Junior Team© Joao Filipe / DPPI

2. Isack Hadjar's junior career

After a short stint at a driving school located at Porte de la Chapelle when he was only 6 years old, it was on the Kartland tracks, in Moissy-Cramayel (77), that the flight of the man who will become the third French driver on the grid in 2025 (with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon) really began. "I remember my very first race in my life, here in 2012," the Frenchman told us while we were on the Seine-et-Marne track with him. "I had a Honda GX 60 engine, 4,5 horsepower. And Kartland is the first track on which I tried it out." Guess how it ended? With a victory, of course! "It was the Michel Caban Trophy, an important race that takes place here every year. I remember spinning out of the pits because my wheel was not properly attached. (Laughs) After the heats, I was 2nd, but I should never have won. I was the only one with a Honda engine, when the others were in Subaru. I had half a horsepower less and my chassis was clearly not at its best. That day, the driver who was supposed to win had the bad idea of ​​celebrating a little too early, and Isack didn't need to be asked twice to win by a hair's breadth.

Owner of the place, Éric Chappard told us about Isack's childhood on this track that he still runs. "At the time, he was a real live wire. We were beyond hyperactive. A real Zébulon! Isack was always well surrounded, by adorable parents. He started with us in Ufolep (French Union of Secular Works of Physical Education. Editor's note), a very accessible championship in which the license cost 60 euros and registration for the races 50. There were 40 on the grid, and the more people there were, the higher the level. At the time, we could already imagine that he would have a great career. A place where he crossed swords with Victor Martins, author of a similar start.

Karting, HADJAR Isack, ACADEMY, F, EXPRIT / VORTEX / BRIDGESTONE, FFSA Academy

Isack Hadjar at the French Junior Karting Championship, Aunay-les-Bois © KSP Reportages

Entered in the 2014 Île de France championship, he competed in his first national level races there, before moving up to cadets in 2015, where the first difficulties emerged. "At 11, I was up against drivers who were 14", he remembers. Ultra-important years in his training, which allowed him to progress harder and grow faster. Second in the Coupe de France behind Hadrien David in 2016, he signed two podiums in the French OK-J championship in 2017, before taking an extremely promising 7th place at Le Mans during a round of the European championship. “In karting, I was never in the right conditions, explains Isack. It was always my father who did my mechanics, for a very long time, while other drivers had private teams. I was never able to do the entire calendar, have the best engine, etc. I always had to compensate, it was frustrating when I came back from a race, the next day I had to go back to school while guys went to ride, test, because they were homeschooling. I didn't have the right to this path, but that's what made me strong.

"It was during his junior years that I quickly understood that he had the ability to learn faster than others, despite his young age, because he was always at least a year behind the others, Christophe Lollier told us, a DTN moved and proud of the promotion of his protégé. Seeing this, in the middle of the 2017 season, I asked his parents to find a solution so that he could do a round of the European championship. Everyone told me that it was stupid because of his small size, because there were modifications to be made with the pedals, and that this would cause a small performance deficit. We made him participate in the Le Mans round, and he finished 7th! There, I had the confirmation that he was extraordinary, and that we had to support him and help him.

A big year later, in 2019, he made his debut in F4 France, in the Junior category. Vice-champion at the end of the season, he stood out by becoming the winner of the Winfield steering wheel. Afterwards, he took part in his first real season of F4 France, with more difficulties than expected. "That year, since winter, he had in mind to be crowned, because he was the favorite. Except that it so happens that we concluded a partnership with the Suzuka circuit at the same time. Red Bull and Honda sent us two older Japanese drivers (Ayumu Iwasa and Ren Sato. Editor’s note), one of whom had won the Japanese F4, remembers Lollier. Isack was still very young, and in the first 2 or 3 meetings, he saw two boys who came out of nowhere arrive and get ahead of him. It wasn't easy to manage... we did a mid-season review, we had to pull ourselves together, and in the last meetings, he was the fastest of all (3 victories in the last 2 meetings. Editor’s note). We saw what we wanted to see, and it confirmed all the potential we knew he had."

Isack Hadjar F4 Pau 2019

Isack Hadjar at the 2019 Pau Grand Prix in F4 © ANTONIN VINCENT / DPPI

Internally, the FFSA was won over and convinced. Problem? From the outside, his 3rd place in a second F4 season was not very well received. At that time, most of the big FRECA teams did not believe in the potential of the young French driver, also discrediting French F4 compared to its more powerful Italian and German neighbors. It is indeed quite rare for a repeat driver, only 3rd in F4 France, to succeed in breaking the bank afterwards. It was simply forgetting three important factors. First, that the 2020 vintage of F4 France was of an excellent level, with the presence of the two Japanese (the champion Ayumu Iwasa and the vice-champion Ren Sato) already titled at home beforehand. Then, that Isack was the strong man of the second part of the season, and that the accounting snapshot of the championship did not reflect the pure performance at the end of the year. Finally, the young man experienced his growth spurt during this season, which had a considerable impact on his performance. “Before the FRECA tests, I felt that the top teams saw me as a, let’s say, average driver, he confided to us at that time then. My 3rd place in an underrated championship was not considered at its true value. People always think that Italian F4 is better, but it depends on the years. Maybe there is more level in Italy in general, but in 2020 it was clearly the opposite.

Isack Hadjar in F4 France 2020 © GERMAIN HAZARD / DPPI

The autumn and winter tests carried out in FRECA were ultra-decisive for his future. To deconstruct the image that the decision-makers had of his potential, Isack had to prove it. This is what he did by constantly pointing ahead of the repeaters in the category, and the situation quickly changed. "I felt the speeches evolve during the winter," he admitted at the time. "The content of the remarks of certain teams to the FFSA and my parents was completely different." Impressively, the Tricolore received three offers, including one from R-ace GP, the very successful Vendée team with which Oscar Piastri was crowned in 2019. Isack accepted. The team boss, Thibaut de Merindol, admitted at the time that he had almost missed out on a good deal. "I am in no position to cast stones at other teams who ignored it, he confided to us in the preamble. It was far from being written that Isack would do such tests. We all, naturally, have more or less the same preconceptions about the level of the different championships. But we still wanted to test him, even before his great end to the season. To be perfectly honest, it was more a curiosity and a way of staying open-minded. Other drivers were better placed than him on our initial list. Right away, despite the rain, he was the fastest, the co-founder of the Vendée team continued to analyse. The most surprising thing was his ability to adapt to the conditions. Despite a day and a half of rain, he was constantly in front, quite naturally and easily. So obviously, that piqued my curiosity. When I left Portugal, I told myself that I wanted to see him again at the rookie tests, to definitively rule out the possibility of a fluke and make sure that he was able to confirm in the dry. It was immediately done with great ease, and it didn't take me any longer to be convinced and sign it."

The hype around Hadjar really took shape in the Middle East, a few weeks later, where he competed in F3 Asia in preparation for FRECA, within an Evans GP team that he kept going. Facing drivers who were in some cases in F2 and F3, Isack took five podiums in nine races… and surprised everyone who didn’t know him. He was ready for the European main course. After a first discovery meeting in Imola (Italy, April 17-18), where the pressure inhibited him somewhat, Isack took his first podium in FRECA in Barcelona (Spain, May 8-9), in the second meeting. But that was nothing compared to the one in Monaco (May 22-23), where he saw his season, and even his career, change. Author of an authoritative pole in the streets where his idol Ayrton Senna shaped his legend, Isack bluffed the entire paddock, finishing his princely ride 7 seconds ahead of his teammate Zane Maloney, while a Safety Car had brought the Barbadian back into his exhausts halfway. "He was so strong that he even set a better time in the race than in qualifying, on tires that were far from new, remembers his coach at the time, Pierre Sancinéna. Drivers have three dreams in Monaco: to participate, to take pole and to win. He ticked all three boxes in one weekend."

Victory for Isack Hadjar in Monaco in FRECA, 2021 © FLORENT GOODEN / DPPI Media

This race was the one of revelation. Impressed, Helmut Marko, legendary head of the Red Bull academy, immediately contacted the Tricolore's entourage, to arrange to meet him a few dozen minutes later at the Monte-Carlo Bay. At the hotel, the discussion did not last long between Isack and Marko, and a verbal agreement was quickly reached. "It wasn't even a question of saying yes or no, Isack remembers. It was obvious that it was yes. If I had been told, six months earlier, when I had finished 3rd in F4 France, that Red Bull would come and get me, I would not have believed it, or at least not so soon. I did not think that they would be interested in a profile like mine. In the temple of speed, for his last performance in the championship, "Zak Machine" secured a second victory in race 2 in addition to a 2nd place in race 1. Results that allowed him to finish as the best rookie, notably against Gabriele Mini, the "prodigy" nurtured by Nicolas Todt. His winning temperament is already showing. "To be honest, the rookie title doesn't matter to me, he confided to us at the time. It's good to have him, but what matters to me is to play up front overall, rookie or not. I want to give myself the means to succeed, and that's the only way I'll get there."

Having arrived in 2022 at the top echelon at Hitech Grand Prix, a good Formula 3 team that has however never won the title since the creation of the championship in 2019, the Frenchman was going to take a new step, in contact with the French engineer Christophe Perrin. The latter, who has collaborated with great drivers, quickly fell under his spell. "In terms of analysis, reflection and intelligence, Isack Hadjar is the boy with the most abilities among those I have worked with, even ahead of Sebastian Vettel who was my reference until then in this area. Isack is one of the only drivers who has managed to make me question certain aspects of engineering. He is also a very good racing driver, a bit like George Russell. He has enormous racing intelligence, a good understanding of tyres and good management of the strong and weak times of a race." During his only season in F3, the Frenchman had a blast in a single-seater that he loved and achieved great results, winning the first race of the season in Bahrain, before signing two masterpieces at Silverstone and Spielberg, to the great delight of Helmut Marko.

Isack Hadjar F3

A successful start to the season for Isack Hadjar in 2022 © Frits van Eldik / DPPI

"Isack Hadjar is a great promise for the future, confirmed the Austrian to AUTOhebdo. We brought him straight from FRECA to Formula 3. He is also the only rookie to fight for the championship this year. What we like about him? His aggressiveness and the fact that he is a fighter. He overtook twice at Silverstone in a fast corner, on the outside, and won the Sprint race. He is very invested in what he does. Isack is very intelligent and supported by his family, especially by his mother Randa who manages all the sponsorship and financing. We think he has a great future ahead of him.

In a strong position to be crowned champion before the final round of the season in Italy, a qualifying exit denied him a fight with Victor Martins until the end, and limited him to a frustrating 4th place in the championship. His promotion to F2 was assured by mid-season, however, as Helmut Marko had seen enough. "A move to F1 will depend on how he performs in F2," he said at the time. "Red Bull is known for not being afraid to take risks with young drivers. There could be a seat available at AlphaTauri. (former name of Racing Bulls. Editor's note) and, if he performs well in F2, there will be a strong probability of seeing Isack Hadjar in F1 in 2024" he then slipped.

His first F2 season at Hitech Grand Prix in 2023, where he changed engineers and environment, did not go as planned and prevented him from being a candidate for F1 for 2024. Isack struggled to fully adapt to this Formula 2, with only one podium in Austria, without having been helped by several opposing elements, such as this mechanical problem in Monaco which forced him to retire during the sprint race that he was leading. Only 14th at the end of the season, the Frenchman was never able to express himself in Oliver Oakes' team, who was also very busy with the project of taking his team to F1. For 2024, Red Bull decided to entrust its young talents to Campos Racing, a team at the back of the pack. Isack was then fully aware of the challenge that lay ahead of him: "This will be the last chance season for F1, that's how it works..."

Isack Hadjar Austria penalty

Isack Hadjar during the 2023 F2 season © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

Hit at the start of the first main race in Bahrain, and weighed down by a faulty fuel pump during the entire Saudi weekend, Hadjar thought he would have to say goodbye to his dream. In an exclusive interview given before the next round in Melbourne, he set the tone. "I won't be able to have things happen to me every weekend, he was positive. Look at Oliver Bearman last year. He had almost no points before Baku, then he had a stratospheric weekend. (pole position and double victory. Editor's note) and that got him back on track. There are twelve rounds left, and I hope to take 50 points over the next two weekends. That would kick off my season. I believe in the law of series. When I unlock the counter, the rest will come by itself!

The ketchup theory was confirmed, as the Frenchman took a double victory in Australia, even if he lost the benefit of his Saturday success afterwards (post-race penalty). After that, he had a masterful European tour, winning at Imola and Silverstone. It was also in England that he took the lead in the championship, despite quite a few mechanical problems. Also victorious at Spa-Francorchamps, he spent the break with a comfortable 36-point lead over the competition. The title was in sight, until a double zero point at Monza and Baku, where his rival Gabriel Bortoleto combined speed and maximum success. Arriving 0,5 points behind the Brazilian at the Abu Dhabi finale, Isack stalled on the grid due to a probable technical problem with his single-seater, and gave up any chance of the title. "I have no problem accepting being runner-up, but I would never accept not having been able to fight to try to get the title", he slipped.

Isack Hadjar F2 Imola

Celebration in Imola in 2024 © Sebastian Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency / DPPI

3. Isack Hadjar's Grand Prix (F1) career

Isack Hadjar takes his first laps in a Formula 1 car during Free Practice 1 of the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix in Yuki Tsunoda's Alpha Tauri. Later, on the final weekend of the season in Abu Dhabi, the Frenchman takes his place in Red Bull's world champion RB19 for his second FP1 appearance.

Hadjar during FP1 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the RB19 © FLORENT GOODEN / DPPI Media

The following year, in 2024, Hadjar took part in another Free Practice session at the British Grand Prix with Red Bull. To close the season, he once again lined up at the start of FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Max Verstappen's RB20 and finished fifteenth. At the end of the weekend, the Parisian took part in the post-season tests, again in the World Champion's single-seater. On this occasion, he impressed Team Principal Christian Horner since his pace was better than Yuki Tsunoda, who has several years of experience in the premier category.

Hadjar, after season 2024 RB20 Abu Dhabi - Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

Isack Hadjar in the RB20 during the 2024 post-season tests in Abu Dhabi © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

In September 2024, Isack Hadjar was promoted to replace Liam Lawson as reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls, who himself was replacing Daniel Ricciardo, who was ousted due to lack of performance. After the announcement of Sergio Pérez's departure from the Red Bull team and his replacement by the New Zealander, Isack Hadjar obtained his Racing Bulls seat as a regular driver for the 2025 season alongside his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

4. AutoHebdo's opinion on Isack Hadjar

If Isack Hadjar is nicknamed "little Prost," it is not for nothing. Behind his smile, his youth and his strong temperament, hides a "ball of energy" capable of turning everything around in his path with brilliance. Very spontaneous and talented, he signed a quality course in the promotional formula, going so far as to finish vice-champion of F2. His ability to adapt quickly, to go fast and to show high-flying reflexes could be magnified by more successful ends of championships since 2022.

They talk about him

Isaac Hadjar
Isaac Hadjar
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Age 28 Sep 2004 (20 years old)

associated researches

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