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F2 Prodigy Isack Hadjar Signs With RB, to Take Last Spot of the 2025 F1 Grid
After Promoting Lawson, RB Is Bringing Isack Hadjar to Pair With Yuki Tsunoda for Next Season
Take Your Bow Hadjar, Welcome to RB!
A day after F1 news broke ground on the report that Liam Lawson would join Verstappen as the second driver in the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, the team made a new move.
Following Lawson’s promotion to the first team, Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior Formula 1 team announced the signing of 20-year-old French driver Isack Hadjar to team up with Japanese star Yuki Tsunoda next season, taking over Lawson’s vacant spot in the junior squad.
BREAKING: Isack Hadjar joins RB for the 2025 season
The F2 graduate will replace Liam Lawson, who heads to Red Bull #F1 pic.twitter.com/4IUfgZ1A4V
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 20, 2024
Becoming the 19th driver to be promoted to an F1 spot from RB’s Junior Programme, Hadjar, considered by many as one of the sports new driving prodigies, will now be tasked to follow in the footsteps of some of the best drivers RB has had, like Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo.
Liam’s left the door Hadjar for Isack 🤝#F1 #VCARB #IsackHadjar pic.twitter.com/1wMMSvM2mz
— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) December 20, 2024
Stating: “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.” One thing is clear, according to F1 rumors, Hadjar has been waiting for his moment, and he is ready to go pedal to the metal, pun intended, next season.
Hadjar Has Been Making Strides to Earn His Stripes
While racing fans have been strongly focussing on other topics like Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari or Checo Perez’s departure from RB’s first team, how about we put all that to the side and focus on what really matters today?
Calling a spade a spade here, Hadjar’s calling to join the Racing Bulls team is not a stunt of any sort by Team Principal Laurent Mekies and other RB higher-ups. The kid has shown throughout his span racing in junior single-seat races that he has the chops to bring it and elevate the talent level within the Racing Bulls team far beyond where it’s at right now.
Finishing as a runner-up to Gabriel Bortoleto in last season’s F2 rankings, tallying four wins in his second year running in said competition, Hadjar has shown he’s ready to take on the grueling F1 schedule and maybe even surprise a few heads, just like he’s been doing ever since his start at driving while playing video games.
HISTORY MADE
Isack Hadjar becomes the first ever F1 Game League Racer to get a Formula 1 seat 🤯
He raced in the top tier of @PremierSimGL on F1 2020 👏🤣 pic.twitter.com/GiRNbD1LoG
— Formula God (@formula1god) December 20, 2024
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt he’ll be racing next to one of the biggest prospects Red Bull has right now, Tsunoda.
Isack Hadjar will join Yuki Tsunoda at RB in 2025 🏁 #F1 pic.twitter.com/xA380f8Q5y
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 20, 2024
Speaking about the chance to race alongside Yuki: “I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki. I’ve always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull junior programme like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.” put these two on the track and watch them take over the F1 standings.
With Hadjar Joining, What’s Next for Tsunoda?
Considering Hadjar’s addition to the Racing Bulls, many questions have arisen among fans, though. For example, and probably most importantly, what will Tsunoda’s future be moving forward?
The 2025 F1 grid finally falls into place 🧩#F1 pic.twitter.com/iYUqAYo1Tu
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 20, 2024
Following a decision-changing showing at Abu Dhabi’s season-finishing test, Red Bull Racing CEO Christian Horner was quick to comment on Hadjar’s speed, causing it to “turn heads” apparently, in comparison to Tsunoda.
So, what does that do for Yuki? It’s no secret these past couple of weeks have probably been a bitch for Tsunoda. Feeling he had done everything right to earn his promotion to RB’s first team, only to see Lawson take it, and now having to share with a racer who is already earning huge props from his team’s bosses, what if this is all lining up to be the signs Yuki needs to leave?
The year is 2026.
What team will Tsunoda drive for? pic.twitter.com/xGJl2Wi95T
— formularacers (@formularacers_) December 19, 2024
With his backers, Honda, leaving RB following the 2025 season and Horner showing clear signs of shifting towards a split from Tsunoda, the betting odds on which team will pick up the Japanese star will surely be right up there in every F1 fans’ checklist.
