Isack Hadjar impressed in 2025 with a rock‑solid debut season in Formula 1. It earned him a seat at Red Bull, alongside four‑time world champion Max Verstappen. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane praises the young Parisian and is keen to see his first outings with the senior squad. The Brit outlines the qualities Hadjar has shown and why he is ready for the step up to Red Bull.
The 21‑year‑old Isack Hadjar stepped up from Formula 2 to Racing Bulls last year. In his rookie season he surprised friend and foe with a string of mature performances. After his horror debut in Australia — he crashed on the formation lap — the young driver recovered almost immediately; already at the Japanese GP he finished in the points for the sister team for the first time. In the end Hadjar scored 51 World Championship points, helped by a phenomenal podium in Zandvoort. That consistent form prompted speculation about a promotion to Red Bull midway through the season.
‘He only got better’
“Yes — he’s been phenomenal,” Alan Permane told MotorsportWeek. “We saw how, after that disaster in Melbourne and the huge disappointment that came with it, he bounced back almost immediately. Just two races later he produced a great drive in Japan. That may have flown a little under the radar, but for me that was the moment his season really started. He performed incredibly well and got the car more and more under control. At a demanding circuit like Suzuka, where you feel the physical toll, he immediately understood how to extract the maximum from the car. And since then he’s only improved.”
That rapid recovery made a deep impression inside the team. According to Permane, Hadjar’s confidence grew and he gave the stable the sense that he would deliver every weekend. “If we did everything right, we could be almost certain he’d reach Q3 each weekend and put in a solid race.” Although Racing Bulls must now say goodbye to their talent, pride prevails with the team principal. “Of course we’re sorry to lose him, but at the same time we’re incredibly proud that he did well enough to move up to Red Bull.”
