Hadjar 'had big doubts' about his F1 seat
- Savannah Lenz
Isack Hadjar is one of the five rookies joining the Formula 1 grid during the 2025 season. The French Algerian will be driving for Racing Bulls after Liam Lawson was appointed to Red Bull Racing. While talking to L'Équipe, Hadjar mentioned his doubts about getting the Formula 1 seat after all.
Hadjar convinced Racing Bulls
Due to his performance in Formula 2, Hadjar managed to catch the eye of the higher-ups as he was one of the two season long championship contenders. In fact, it wasn't until the last race that he lost his chances at the title, due to an engine issue which lead to the French Algerian stalling at the start of the race, thus being giving up on his F2 title chances before the first lap was even completed, leaving him as runner up to the junior series' eventual champion, Sauber's new driver, Gabriel Bortoleto.
However, despite not winning, he was still offered the seat next to Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, which, due to the uncertainty surrounding Sergio Perez' presence with the team was less than sure at the time, with Franco Colapinto, the young Argentinian driver being linked as a potential replacement for the Mexican, with the seat going ultimately to another Red Bull junior talent, New Zealand's Liam Lawson.
Hadjar reveals uncertainty over F1 promotion
When speaking about his doubts, especially regarding Colapinto, he said, "There were times when I had big doubts, yes. There were big doubts, but these are over now."
This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut.
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