Isack Hadjar has graduated to F1 with RB for the 2025 season.
Hadjar’s promotion comes after he finished as F2 vice-champion with four wins and four further podium finishes in his second season in the category, having claimed just one podium in his rookie campaign in 2023.
The 20 year-old Frenchman replaces Liam Lawson who has been promoted to Red Bull, in the wake of Sergio Perez’s exit.
Hadjar joined Red Bull’s Academy in 2022 and is now “very excited” to reach F1 in what he considers to be “… huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning.
“The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I’ve been working towards my whole life, it is the dream. 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.”
Hadjar though is aware that he needs to adapt to F1 but has vowed to learn from new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
“It’ll be a huge learning curve, but I’m ready to work hard and do the best I can for the team.
“I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki, I’ve always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull Junior Program, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.”
Team Principal, Laurent Mekies added that he is “excited” about the “new and fresh dynamic” that Hadjar will add to the team, as he praised the Frenchman for his development.
“His journey to Formula One has been nothing short of outstanding, he has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks.
“He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact. I believe Isack and Yuki will make a great team.
“Yuki brings invaluable experience to the team, he’s shown incredible resilience and maturity, which will be crucial for the team as we strive to hit all our aims and objectives in 2025.”
Hadjar graduated to single-seater seating in 2019 in French F4 and proceeded to finish third in the 2020 season, during which he took four wins across both seasons.
He then spent 2021 in FRECA where he took two wins and finished fifth overall, which was followed a third-placed finish in 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship.
2022 also saw Hadjar graduate to F3 where he took three victories en-route to fourth overall, having endured bad luck in the season finale at Monza that season.
Hadjar completes the grid which will contain three rookies consisting of; himself, Gabriel Bortoleto and Andrea Kimi Antonelli at RB, Sauber and Mercedes respectively.
Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson meanwhile will participate in a full season for the first time, having raced at ten rounds in total between them in 2024.