Isack Hadjar is one of five rookies on the Formula 1 grid and Motorsport Week sat down with the young Racing Bulls star during his first pre-season test on the Grand Prix scene.

Hadjar was the last addition to the 2025 F1 grid, the final piece in the Red Bull F1 puzzle that was re-jigged following the dismissal of Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson graduating to the senior team.

Perhaps, the French-Algerian graduates to F1 with the lowest profile among the five rookies. Lawson is barely a rookie, well established thanks to his two stints at the Faenza-based Racing Bulls outfit in 2023 and ‘24. Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli was touted all year-long as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement until that was made official during the Italian Grand Prix and Haas’ Oliver Bearman burst onto the F1 scene with that remarkable one-off race for Ferrari in Jeddah last March. Even Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto comes into F1 with the pedigree of reigning Formula 2 champion, a crown that cruelly slipped through Hadjar’s fingertips.

Being part of the large rookie crowd “highlights the fact that our generation is really strong,” Hadjar believes. “And we are skilled. And I’m happy to race guys I’ve raced in the past. I know how they behave, how they race. So it makes it easier.”

Hadjar has had limited simulator and testing compared to the likes of Alpine’s Jack Doohan, another of F1’s five rookies, but he certainly made up for last time during F1’s three-day pre-season test, clocking a total of 243 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, second only to Haas’ Esteban Ocon. He’s also had a taste of the limelight through F1 75, creating a viral moment and a host of comedic social clips with new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

F1 75: Hadjar’s viral reaction to the Racing Bulls livery

Those latterly mentioned media commitments are the biggest change for Hadjar, a graduate of the Red Bull junior programme who has eight race victories in three seasons across F2 and Formula 3. But as anyone who follows Racing Bulls on social media will know, Hadjar has become somewhat of a lip syncing expert when filming content with Tsunoda.

“When it’s not stepping on my, let’s say, it’s not impeding me to do what I want to do, I’m happy with that,” he says of his media commitments. “Otherwise, it’s a bit tough.”

So far, the biggest impression Hadjar has made off-track was at the F1 75 launch event at London’s O2 Arena. There, he and Tsunoda pulled the covers off of the VCARB02 to reveal a stunning white and blue Red Bull livery that shocked the watching world and Hadjar himself. His look of shock quickly became a viral sensation across F1 digital media and Hadjar admits that moment was all a genuine response.

“I saw the car on my phone, but I’d never seen the livery,” he said. “Even at the factory, the car was naked, so I couldn’t tell how it was looking properly on a real car. And looking at it, I was like, it’s f***ing cool. Of course. Yuki, he started it, [the now famous photo]. He posted it, posted my face like this. And yeah, it was not on purpose. It was a really genuine reaction, so it’s good.”

First impressions of F1

That viral moment for many would have been their first introduction to Hadjar as he becomes one of the 20 global F1 superstars. For the young man himself, however, the most important aspect is being behind the wheel of an F1 car. A handful of FP1 sessions and post-season test aside, his F1 running has been limited. When Motorsport Week spoke to Hadjar in Bahrain, he’d had one four-hour session of running in the VCARB02 in Sakhir and his initial impressions were succinct, and to the point.

“It’s f***ing fast,” he said. “At the moment, that’s all I can give you as a feedback. I don’t have much experience in F1. I don’t know what’s a mega car. If it should be like a McLaren, I don’t know how it’s supposed to behave. I don’t have an idea. So for me, this is fast.”

Hadjar’s test went as well as can be expected for a rookie with limited F1 experience. His aforementioned lap-count will no doubt pay dividends as he continues to adapt and his pace was comparable to Tsunoda’s on the first two days. Hadjar said he feels comfortable in an F1 cockpit.

“Even looking at my session [on Wednesday], I felt comfy with everything,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s the first day. I’m adapting really fast and ready to keep going.”

Moreover, in response to whether he’s a fast learner, the self-assured Hadjar said “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Measuring up against Yuki Tsunoda

Learning will be key for Hadjar’s progression and he has Tsunoda on the other side of the Racing Bulls garage to help guide him. Tsunoda is now a Faenza expert who lives in Italy to keep his bond with the team strong, one that is entering its fifth year. 

Hadjar recalls meeting Tsunoda for the first time at Suzuka, when the Japanese ace was still in F3 and from that point on, witnessing his fellow Red Bull junior take the same path he has just traversed. 

“Obviously, being in the junior team, you see him stepping up to F1 and basically followed everything he did,” Hadjar said of his team-mate. “So I always rated him and now to be his team mate is good. He’s a really good guy as well. Now we get along fine.”

Getting along is one thing but Hadjar knows that measuring up strongly and beating Tsunoda is the only real metric at which success can be measured in 2025.

“He’s the only one having the same car as me,” he said. “So at the end of the campaign, he’s the only one I can compare to and it’s no surprise that I want to be faster. But you have to be realistic as well. Starting the season, I have no experience at all. So I would have to keep my head down and just learn from him.”

That learning curve means traversing the globe on a 24-race calendar where Hadjar will experience circuits for the first time in an F1 car or altogether. Looking ahead, he revealed which venues he’s looking forward to most.

“Japan, in an F1 car. Brazil as well. They are the two tracks I really want to experience. And Monaco in an F1, I think is ridiculous.”

Hadjar is confident in his own abilities and ready to challenge on motorsport’s biggest stage. Short and to the point with his remarks, his focus is on the track and while he might have flown under the radar as the final piece of the 2025 F1 grid puzzle, he’s not there to make up the numbers by any stretch.

READ MORE – Racing Bulls had ‘easy’ choice promoting Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar to F1

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Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies revealed “it was easy” promoting Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar to Formula 1.

Hadjar was the final piece in the Red Bull puzzle when the Milton Keynes-based outfit parted ways with Sergio Perez shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 F1 campaign.

Red Bull then promoted Liam Lawson to partner Max Verstappen for 2025 with the final question remaining, who would sit alongside Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls?

That decision was made swiftly, and in the space of a few days shortly into the off-season, Red Bull’s driver line-up across its two teams was completed by 2024 Formula 2 vice-champion Hadjar.

Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week ahead of F1 75, Mekies revealed that Hadjar was a “natural” choice given he was next in line from the Red Bull junior programme.

“I think it was the most natural part of the process was to get Isack in,” the Racing Bulls boss said. 

“He was very clearly the next one in line in terms of the Red Bull Young Drivers programme, and there has never been a question on who is going to take that seat next, if that seat becomes available. 

“So we were following him for quite a while already, and then we got a bit of time together in the final race of the season, and the decisions came pretty much… You knew about it pretty much at the same time as it was made, but it was an easy one.”

Hadjar: ‘My goal is to be F1 champion’

For Hadjar, the process of finding out he’d be a Racing Bulls F1 driver wasn’t as plain sailing as it was for his new team bosses.

Amid an F2 title fight, Hadjar was left waiting and wondering if and when the call would come, admitting it wasn’t easy being kept in the dark.

“No, it was not that easy,” Hadjar said of waiting for the call. 

“I officially found out after Abu Dhabi to be fair.

“When I stepped up to reserve, I was just focused on trying to win that F2 title and learn in this new environment.”

Hadjar’s F2 title challenge came to an agonising end in the final round, stalling at the start of the climatic race, ceding the title to Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Frenchman has gotten over that heartbreak quickly, with greater goals ahead of him.

“Yeah, my goal is not to be an F2 champion, it’s to be an F1 world champion, so I’m fine,” he defiantly claimed. 

READ MORE – Isack Hadjar sets sights on beating Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls

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Racing Bulls became the latest Formula 1 team to shakedown a 2025-spec car as it ran the VCARB 02 in its striking new livery during a filming day at Imola on Thursday.

The Faenza-based squad unveiled the revamped white colour scheme that will adorn its two cars in the upcoming season during F1’s season launch event on Tuesday.

That coincided with Racing Bulls also releasing renders showcasing the actual machine, which has had its maiden run at the venue closest to the side’s Italian base.

Both Yuki Tsunoda, now in his fifth season with the Red Bull satellite squad, and rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar completed a shakedown restricted to 200 kilometres.

Racing Bulls’ newest car was poised to be built on the architecture used on Red Bull’s 2024 challenger, the RB20, which Max Verstappen drove to a fourth straight title. 

But amid suspicion about the extent of the collaboration between the two Red Bull-owned parties, Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies insisted no rules have been broken.

“We try to share what is within the regulations, it is not 100 per cent of the load but it’s the main components we can share: the gearbox, [and] suspension,” he addressed to media including Motorsport Week at the F1 75 season event in London earlier this week.

Racing Bulls aiming for more consistent campaign

Racing Bulls endured a mixed season in 2024 as unanticipated complications with mid-season upgrades derailed a promising start, culminating in an eighth-place finish.

Mekies explained that Racing Bulls has aimed to address the issues that blighted the VCARB 02’s predecessor to sustain a more consistent campaign this time around.

“We had very good moments last year, we had more difficult races,” he added.

“So in terms of overall targets we have tried to understand what made our car not so consistent last year and hopefully we will be able to address some of that.

“Now we have done that whilst in parallel we were continuing to evolve the team, to continue to build the teams, so I’m not here to tell you that we think we have solved all of our competitiveness issues, no, but certainly the team is gelling together in the right directions.”

READ MORE – Why Yuki Tsunoda wasn’t ‘angered’ by latest Red Bull F1 omission

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Racing Bulls Formula 1 rookie Isack Hadjar has claimed his radio messages portray him as a “really angry guy” despite professing he’s a cool customer in the cockpit of a race car.

The comments come from the new behind-the-scenes documentary on F1TV, ‘Rookies,’ which centres on 2025’s newcomers to the Grand Prix scene.

Hadjar’s introduction in the documentary is juxtaposed with his heartbreaking future race loss at Monaco in last year’s F2 championship, where a Virtual Safety Car handed an opportunistic Zak O’Sullivan victory.

“It was a very tough day in the office,” he said. 

“You jump out of the car after a tough session, you’ve got [Red Bull motorsport consultant] Helmut Marko waiting for explanations and everything, because sometimes you didn’t do [anything] wrong but it’s really a tricky situation. 

“Plus the fact that you’re disappointed yourself.”

Hadjar’s closing laps in Monaco were littered with angry radio messages, but he feels these misrepresent him. 

“Certain drivers say ‘when I put the visor down, I’m a different person, different animal’,” Hadjar said. 

“Honestly, I feel really composed when I drive.

“I think a lot. I’m aware of the danger. I wouldn’t say I am different to the guy on the outside

“Maybe I am less aggressive than what people think. But obviously the radio button makes me look like a really angry guy.

“I know I’m passionate, that’s for sure, and angry at times.”

Hadjar thought F1 chance was over after tough period in F2

After finishing 14th in his rookie F2 campaign, Hadjar thought his opportunities as a Red Bull junior and future F1 driver were over, but “I got to be part of Red Bull for another year,” he said.

His Red Bull reprieve came with an ultimatum: “It was the last chance to make it to F1.”

Hajdar added: “They put me at Campos, they decided it, but then when I looked at the season and previous years, I really saw potential in the team. 

“[I thought] with a stronger driver, they could maybe deliver some really good races.”

Just one points finish from the first five races wasn’t the start Hadjar was hoping for, but a feature race win at Albert Park, Melbourne Australian catapulted him into a title-charge.

“[2024] started really wrong,” he said. 

“I had all the pace in the world, right, but I couldn’t get the results.

“I thought F1 was pretty much over, even though there was like a lot of rounds left, you don’t turn around and things like this,” he said. 

“But actually we did from Melbourne and we had mega momentum.”

Hadjar’s title charge came up agonisingly short in the final race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where stalling at the line rendered him vice-champion.

Despite that heartbreak, Hadjar did enough to warrant the Racing Bull’s seat vacated by newly promoted Liam Lawson, to complete F1’s quintet of rookies.

READ MORE – Why Isack Hadjar had ‘serious doubts’ about securing Racing Bulls F1 drive

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A new documentary produced by Formula 1 dubbed ‘Rookies’ has allowed viewers to gain extra insight into the series’ newest drivers.

After 2024 saw the same 20 drivers carried over from the year before in the same seats for the first time in F1 series history, 2025 has seen a dramatic swing back in the opposite direction and this new documentary on F1TV celebrates just that.

Produced and directed by Rory Child, ‘Rookies’ is a 50-minute documentary taking audiences behind the scenes to learn more about F1’s five newbies joining the 2025 grid.

The young men in question are Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls‘ Isack Hadjar.

Child guides the viewer through the experiences of each rookie throughout 2024, the pivotal year for all five of F1s newcomers and a series of talking heads including renowned commentator Alex Jacques and F2 & F3 CEO Bruno Michel compliment on-track footage and interviews with the five drivers themselves.

The doc opens with Jacques in voice-over, saying “A new generation is about to burst onto the Formula 1 scene,” before introducing our rookies in a series of action shots and interview snippets, interspersed with commentary from the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff and George Russell in a glitzy introduction.

Throughout, Jacques plays a familiar role in the documentary, one which Will Buxton performs in Netflix’s Drive to Survive, navigating the novice viewer through the intricacies of the single-seater pyramid.

Michel then hails the recent impact of F1 teams operating driver academies in junior formula and it is at this point we are introduced to the first of our five rookies: Bearman.

Here the framework for the doc is laid out, repeated with the remaining four rookies. 

We see the stories of how the rookies landed their F1 promotions, and what motivates them, but more importantly, we learn a bit more about their character from those around them.

Bearman performs best under pressure

So, what did we learn about Bearman?

Perhaps the best man to comment on Haas’ latest acquisition is his father David, who says “Whenever Ollie has been given that moment and when it has been time to perform, he’s stepped up. He’s stepped up every time and that’s incredible to watch.”

Bearman had to step during Round 2 of the 2024 F1 season to replace appendicitis-suffering Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Jeddah and he was able to jump in at the 11th hour and score points in seventh place. 

“I always found with Ollie if you put him under pressure he performs even better,” says his father.

Bearman acknowledged that the race in Jeddah “changed his life,” with F2 CEO Michel adding it “helped” open the door for more rookies to get their opportunities.

‘Fierce’ Antonelli is the long-term future for Mercedes

18-year-old Antonelli was another of the most talked about names last year in F2, having bypassed F3 to make his debut in the series.

The hype around the young Italian is now reaching an astronomical level as Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes.

Antonelli has long been a part of the Mercedes family, with Driver Development Advisor Gwen Lagrue pointing out he scouted the young Italian when he was just 11 years old, noting“He was already quite special” at that stage.

As the man who identified his talent, Lagrue is a great candidate to explain why Antonelli is so highly regarded.

Mercedes Team Principal Wolff says in the documentary “We expect difficult moments. With Kimi, we can see because of his upbringing, his background, his family, also being a part of our family for a long time he’s fierce.”

A crash during his FP1 debut with Mercedes at Monza perhaps characterised the ferocity Wolff credits Antonelli with possessing.

“There’s no doubt he has the talent, the ability, the skills and now it’s about allowing him the space to grow up within this crazy, tough, ruthless environment,” adds Wolff.

What is clear is that Mercedes and Antonelli aim to be together for the long haul with the Italian calling Wolff a “second dad to me” and the Austrian saying “we will protect him, we will allow him to grow. Kimi is the long-term future of the team.”

Doohan is driven to succeed

Doohan is unique among the five rookies in two ways.

First, he is the only one who didn’t have a full-time racing programme in 2024, instead acting as Alpine’s reserve driver.

Second, he is the only one who can call five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan his father.

“It’s very rewarding to see him [succeed] because he’s the one who asked me if he won another championship in Australia if I’d take him to Europe go-karting,” says Doohan senior.

“He was the one who wanted to do that and then it has been a ride from there and the drive and the determination that he’s had. So to see it actually pay off is so rewarding as a father.

“I know that he’s fully immersed himself into the team, into the sim work, he’s been doing plenty of mileage in the older cars so he’s embraced that and I think that’s the thing he knows if he wanted to go to the next level he needs to put in that groundwork. 

“I’m not just saying that as a father, I’m saying that as someone who’s had that mindset himself and I can see it in Jack. Sure I’ve given him some guidance but he’s got that drive and dedication himself.”

Bortoleto has the ‘soft skills to succeed in F1

Bortoleto graduates to F1 in the exclusive club of drivers to win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in consecutive rookie seasons.

That granted the former McLaren junior the chance to sign with Sauber on a multi-year deal that will see the young Brazilian race under the banner of Audi in his sophomore season next year.

His story in the documentary begins with the stunning last-to-first victory at Monza, which helped catapult him into title contention.

It’s also a race that made Sauber Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer Mattia Binotto take notice.

“It’s that the type of drive that makes you convinced that the talent and the potential are there,” the Sauber boss says, interspersed with footage of Bortoleto celebrating on the Monza podium.

“I’m so happy that he chose us,” adds Binotto. 

“He was so enthusiastic about the Audi F1 project because it’s really starting from zero and I think that’s exactly the right mindset I was looking for.

“He impressed me the way he was driving, but he impressed me more as a person. What will be in F1 we will see but I think he’s got all the soft skills that are required to be a champion in the future.”

Hadjar delivers when called upon

Hadjar’s 2024 season was unlike his fellow F2 competitors as the reality that he might secure a drive in F1 was only realised post-season.

An agonising end to his title fight with Bortoleto ended with a stall at the start of the final race and that wasn’t the only moment of strife that Hadjar had to overcome in 2024.

The Red Bull junior lost the feature race win in Monaco thanks to a late Virtual Safety Car handing Zak O’Sullivan a free pitstop. 

One points finish from the first five races also characterised the hurdles Hadjar had to overcome as he sought to recover from an underwhelming rookie F2 season in 2023.

Someone who knows Hadjar better than most, and what it takes to succeed at the very top of the sport is Guillaume ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin, Head of the Driver Academy at Red Bull and the man who made the iconic “Du Best Weltmeister” radio call as Sebastian Vettel won his first world title in 2010.

With his future on the line, an F2 title at stake and the glimmer of hope he’d get a shot at F1, Rocky says Hadjar “He handled the pressure very well and I think to be honest, surprisingly, the pressure was more the previous year [2023] in his rookie campaign in F2.

“I think he had a very tough introduction to F2, he struggled quite a lot, the results weren’t what he was used to, and the pace wasn’t there. So there was a lot of question marks and I think he thought his career was over then.

“He entered this season with a lot more belief, a lot more confidence and I think while the pressure was there because the results were required, the pressure put on himself was less than the previous year because he had so much more confidence. 

“When called upon, he really delivered and did very well so there’s not much I can criticise from his performance,” he concludes. 

Red Bull told Hadjar that 2024 was his last chance to prove himself and he did just that, earning his spot on the 2025 grid alongside his four fellow rookies.

The quintet, based on the appraisals of those closest to them, all look set to make their mark on F1.

READ MORE – F1 releases behind the scenes documentary on 2025 rookies

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Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has set himself a potent target for his maiden Formula 1 campaign: beating team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Hadjar, a product of the Red Bull junior programme, graduates to the Faenza-based Racing Bulls F1 squad having finished second in the 2024 Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship.

The 20-year-old takes the place of Liam Lawson who has filled the seat vacated by Sergio Perez in the senior Red Bull outfit.

Jumping out of the spec F2-series into the bespoke world of F1 means Hadjar can only realistically measure himself against the one man in the same machinery, Tsunoda.

Tsunoda is set to enter his fifth season in F1, all with the same team and the Japanese driver has thwarted former team-mates Nick de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and, arguably, Lawson along the way.

“I know that my experience in F1 is limited,” Tsunoda told Canal Plus France. 

“There is a very high level on the grid. In the end, I know myself. I know that when I get in the car, I will want to beat Tsunoda. 

“That’s the only real thing, especially in this category where we don’t all have the same car. It’s the only real objective I have in concrete terms.”

Hadjar seeking to emulate Tsunoda’s F1 journey

Hadjar, like Tsunoda in his younger years, is characterised as a passionate racing driver, who often voices his displeasure on the radio.

That’s a trait that Tsunoda has worked hard to diminish and Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has cited Hadjar’s radio outbursts as something that needs to be stamped out.

Hadjar is aware this is an area he ought to improve upon.

“Entering a world like this is a bit scary, but I will keep my desire to succeed, to win and I also want to channel my emotions,” he said. 

“I know which team I’m in. I know they don’t like the radio button too much. 

“The fact that I have trouble visualising this shows how special this adventure is for me. To be honest, I’m scared,” he concluded.

Despite his desire to beat Tsunoda, Hadjar has also spoken of his admiration for the man on the other side of the Racing Bulls garage.

In his statement following his F1 promotion, Hadjar was quoted saying: “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.”

READ MORE – Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar have points to prove in F1 2025

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Isack Hadjar has spoken fondly of new Racing Bulls team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who he will partner with in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign.

After Sergio Perez was let go by Red Bull on Wednesday and Liam Lawson was announced as the Mexican’s replacement a day later, a vacancy was left open at the Faenza-based sister squad, Racing Bulls.

On Friday, Hadjar was the lucky Red Bull junior selected to progress from Formula 2 to the big leagues.

The Frenchman will be team-mates with Tsunoda, who is set to embark on his fifth year in Faenza and Hadjar revealed the Japanese driver is one he very much looks up to.

“I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning,” Hadjar said.

“The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula 1 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.

“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 Programme, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1.

“He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.”

Racing Bulls has a blend of youth and experience with new driver line-up

While Tsunoda will rightly feel aggrieved that he has been spurned by Red Bull, his position at Racing Bulls makes him the Italian-based team’s leader on the driver front.

With a team-mate who openly looks up to him, Tsunoda has the role of helping bring Hadjar up to speed in the F1 arena.

Back in August, Motorsport Week spoke with Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer, before Daniel Ricciardo was let go and long before this Red Bull driver merry-go-round began.

Bayer spoke about his ideal driver line-up being one of youth and experience and he named Tsunoda as a driver capable of living up to the latter.

“I strongly believe that you need to have one experienced driver and experienced meaning somebody like Yuki, who has now done a couple of years,” said Bayer.

“Daniel helped us to fine-tune Yuki and sort of polish the edges and certainly Yuki is somebody who is able to do that in the future.

“I see the pairing of taking somebody under your wings, goes quite well with the Red Bull philosophy actually.”

Now it’s time for Tsunoda to take Hadjar under his wings.

READ MORE – Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar promoted to Racing Bulls F1 2025 seat

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Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar has been promoted to the Racing Bulls Formula 1 outfit for the 2025 season to partner Yuki Tsunoda.

Hadjar’s promotion comes after a series of chess moves made by Red Bull.

Red Bull announced Sergio Perez was stepping away from the team on Wednesday and Thursday revealed Liam Lawson would move from Racing Bulls to race alongside Max Verstappen next season.

With Tsunoda remaining at Racing Bulls, Hadjar was revealed as the final piece in the Faenza puzzle on Friday.

“I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning,” Hadjar said. 

“The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula 1 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. 

“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 Programme, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. 

“He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from.”

Racing Bulls leaders excited by ‘great team’ with Tsunoda and Hadjar

Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies and CEO Peter Bayer welcomed the news of Hadjar’s arrival to the team with gusto.

Both men feel that the rookie will complement a perfect partnership with the incumbent Tsunoda as Racing Bulls embarks on the 2025 campaign.

Mekies said: “We’re excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025. 

“His journey to F1 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 lsack 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.”

Amid welcoming Hadjar to the team, Bayer made sure to praise Lawson on his Red Bull promotion, saying, ”Firstly, we must congratulate Liam for his step up to Oracle Red Bull Racing.

“As a sister team and as an incubator for F1 talent, our strategic objective is to foster and nurture our drivers in preparation for this next step,” he added. 

“With this move and by bringing lsack into VCARB, it’s a testament to our longstanding commitment to develop the best young drivers in motorsport, as well as proof of concept of the Red Bull Junior Program. 

“Having a younger driver supports our mission to speak to a younger audience, so we look forward to bringing new and existing fans on the journey with us.”

Hadjar, 20, steps up to F1 after finishing as vice-champion in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 campaign.

The Frenchman saw his title challenge come to a heartbreaking end at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, whereby his Red Bull-liveried Campos machine stalled at lights out in the final race of the season.

Still, Friday’s news that he is set to embark on an F1 career undoubtedly makes that loss a now-distant memory.

READ MORE – Red Bull admits choosing Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda was a ‘tight’ call

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Gabriel Bortoleto wins the Formula 2 championship after his title rival Isack Hadjar stalled at the Abu Dhabi Feature race start.

After his Formula 3 title win last season, Bortoleto was crowned the F2 champion after finishing second behind the Feature race winner Joshua Durksen.

Durksen passed Victor Martins and Bortoleto after the first round of pit stops as he cruised home for his second win of the season.

Richard Verschoor made the alternative strategy work to grab a podium finish in third.

Hadjar failed to get away from the grid and continued on a lap down for the rest of the race.

Martins started from pole position, Bortoleto in second and his championship rival directly behind him in third.

Both of the title contenders went into the race knowing victory in the Feature race would secure the championship for themselves.

If Hadjar finished lower than first, it would be in Bortoleto’s hands; if he finished eighth or lower, it would be over for the Frenchman.

Paul Aron finished third in the Sprint race on Saturday but was disqualified for breaching Article 1.5.2 of the FIA F2 Technical Regulations after the race stewards found that the DRS “actuator had been modified”.

Article 1.5.2 states that “no parts may be modified in any way” therefore he was DSQ and was handed a pit lane start as an additional penalty for the Feature race.

Prema Racing announced before the Feature race that “Kimi Antonelli will not take part in the Feature Race today as he continues his recovery.

“While the team is sad not to race one last time together, everyone at PREMA Racing wishes him a quick return to the track!”

With Antonelli out, Oliver Goethe assumed the last spot inside the top 10 of the starting grid.

Hadjar misfortune hands Bortoleto F2 title

On Lap 1 of 33, Bortoleto stormed into the lead of the Feature race as polesitter Martins dropped down the order after a slow start.

Remarkably, Hadjar’s title dreams were over after the race start as his Campos Racing car had stalled on the grid.

Hadjar voiced his frustrations over the radio with the stall, stating it was “the worst moment of my life”.

The 20-year-old’s misery was compounded after he returned to the pits and made his way back out onto the track to be lapped by Bortoleto.

Elsewhere, Martins had dropped down to sixth place and Kush Maini battled hard with the Sprint race winner Josep Maria Martí.

Maini came out on top as his Invicta Racing team-mate scurried away down the road, building his lead to over a second.

Hadjar unlapped himself and took the fastest lap as he continued to fight for the title.

But he was soon lapped again and out front, the battle for second between Maini, Marti and Durksen continued.

Most of the soft runners pitted including the front runners behind Bortoleto and Marti on Lap 7.

During the pit stops, Maini had an issue dropping him down the order and Durksen fought hard with Martins out of the pits.

Both drivers passed Bortoleto when he pitted on Lap 8 and Hadjar pitted for the medium tyre as well.

Marti led the alternative strategy runners as Bortoleto complained about his brakes not working to his race engineer.

Verschoor passed Amaury Cordeel for second place on the track as he chased down Marti on Lap 17.

At the same time, Hadjar complained that he was in “traffic paradise” as he kept pushing at the back of the pack.

On Lap 18, Verschoor was flying and overtook Marti for the lead on track whilst Durksen held the net race lead.

With just over 10 laps to go, the top six had been caught by the early pitters as Verschoor had built a four-second lead over Marti.

On Lap 23, Martins had closed up to Durksen after he was held up by Max Esterson, who eventually pitted after being overtaken by the ART car as well.

Lap 27 and Marti dashed into the pits to get rid of his old medium tyres but the Spanish driver almost peeled into the wrong pit box.

Marti came out in 10th place and when Verschoor pitted from the lead, he came back out behind Oliver Bearman in sixth.

On Lap 28, Bortoleto was all over the back of Martins as Durksen built a two-second gap over the pair.

Five laps to go and Aron was the final driver of the alternative strategy runners to pit, handing the race lead to Durksen.

Meanwhile, Bortoleto cruised past Martins to take second place on Lap 29, with Durksen just two seconds up the road.

Verschoor was setting multiple purple sectors and took the fastest lap as he passed Dino Beganovic for fifth and then Bearman into fourth place on Lap 30.

On Lap 31, Marti had passed two cars to climb up into eighth place and made swift work of Goethe to take seventh place.

Replays showed that Durksen had gone straight on at the Turn 6 chicane, as the Paraguayan continued to lead on the penultimate lap of the race.

Verschoor was fast closing in on Martins for the last spot on the podium as Marti chased Beganovic for sixth place.

Before the last lap, Martins went wide into the final corner, handing Verschoor third place and a podium finish.

Marti passed Beganovic for sixth and Durksen held onto first place to take his first Feature race win in F2, a fantastic performance by the AIX Racing driver.

Bortoleto took second place as he was officially crowned the F2 Drivers’ Champion of the 2024 season, as he proudly shouted “Let’s go” over the team radio.

Verschoor claimed the final podium position ahead of Martins in fourth, who had started from pole, and Bearman rounded off the top five.

Marti finished in sixth after his alternative strategy, Beganovic seventh, Cordeel eighth, Goethe ninth and Ritomo Miyata claimed the final point with a 10th-placed finish.

Hadjar stayed out after his stall but it wasn’t meant to be for him this year as Bortoleto came out on top in the Abu Dhabi showdown.

In the Constructors’ title fight, the result ensured Invicta would be team champions ahead of Campos by 34.5 points.

READ MORE: Pepe Marti wins Abu Dhabi Sprint race, Gabriel Bortoleto extends F2 championship lead

The post Gabriel Bortoleto takes F2 title as Joshua Durksen wins Abu Dhabi Feature race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Josep Maria Marti was victorious in the Formula 2 Abu Dhabi Sprint race as Gabriel Bortoleto gained on his championship rival Isack Hadjar.

Bortoleto finished in second place after starting from ninth on the grid to take a five-and-a-half point lead in the Drivers’ Standings.

Paul Aron rounded off the top three on the road but was later disqualified, handing third to rookie Dino Beganovic.

Bortoleto increases F2 championship lead

The Prema Racing team announced before the F2 Sprint race that Andrea Kimi Antonelli “has been feeling unwell and, on doctor’s advice, he will not race,” but the team hopes he will be able to compete in tomorrow’s Feature race.

Antonelli was due to start from 11th on the grid, and his absence bumped everyone below him up one place in the starting order.

A frantic start to the race on Lap 1 of 23 saw Marti take the lead starting from fourth on the grid, heading into Turn 1.

Championship contenders Bortoleto and Hadjar were amongst the chaos at the start and the Frenchman suffered front wing damage.

Bortoleto’s team-mate Kush Maini got a great start and dived down the inside of Hadjar and made contact with his rear wheel to the Campos Racing driver’s front end plate.

On the same lap, Ritomo Miyata made contact with Sunday’s polesitter Victor Martins, sending the ART car spinning around as Martins eventually pitted coming back out onto the track in last place.

Miyata received a 10-second time penalty for his actions as Bortoleto gained four places amidst the carnage to take fifth place.

The championship leader kept climbing up the order and eventually overtook Joshua Durksen on Lap 3 for fourth.

The next lap Bortoleto got past Amaury Cordeel for third place before passing Maini for second place as he settled behind the race leader Marti.

Meanwhile, after contact at the start, Hadjar slipped down the order as far as 11th before recovering to ninth place.

On Lap 7, Aron took fifth place off Durksen before Cordeel got past Maini in third place.

Aron quickly overtook Maini for fourth on Lap 8 as Durksen followed him by also getting past Maini into fifth.

On Lap 9 Oliver Bearman, who started in 14th place, overtook Maini for sixth place as Beganovic breezed past at the same time into seventh.

Maini, who now held the final points-scoring position in eighth, found himself ahead of Hadjar again after their first lap contact.

Hadjar overtook Maini for eighth place before attempting to get past Beganovic on Lap 12, but the Swedish driver defended well to hold onto seventh place.

Aron managed to get past his Hitech team-mate Cordeel to occupy the final podium position.

By Lap 15, the order stood at Marti, Bortoleto, Aron, Cordeel, Durksen, Bearman, Beganovic and Hadjar rounding off the top eight.

Marti held the fastest lap and a lead of over three seconds before Bortoleto brought the gap down under three seconds on Lap 17.

With the positions held by the top two in the F2 Drivers’ Standings, the Brazillian racing driver would gain seven points on Hadjar.

This would mean the gap between Hadjar and Bortoleto would stand at seven and a half points heading into the final race of the season.

On Lap 18, Cordeel and Durksen made contact which saw the AIX Racing car drop down the order.

Bearman avoided the collision to take fourth, but the race stewards were investigating the British driver for track limits and he received a five-second time penalty.

Cordeel managed to continue in fifth place before Beganovic overtook him and Hadjar gained a place into seventh.

Miyata now occupied eighth and on Lap 21 Cordeel received a 10-second time penalty, which would bump Hadjar up another place into sixth.

On Lap 22, Hadjar climbed up into sixth ahead of Cordeel, who then fell behind Miyata into eighth place.

On the final lap, Marti still held a comfortable lead over Bortoleto, but the championship leader was set to gain five points on his rival Hadjar.

Marti crossed the line to take the Sprint race victory ahead of Bortoleto in second and Aron rounding off the podium places in third.

Beganovic claimed another spectacular result since his debut in Qatar to take fourth place ahead of Bearman in fifth – Bearman’s time penalty dropped him down the order after finishing fourth on the track.

Hadjar managed to finish in sixth place but had dropped five points back from Bortoleto in the championship standings.

Luke Browning took seventh place due to Miyata and Cordeel’s penalties and Richard Verschoor rounded off the point scorers in eighth place.

Bortoleto lines up from second on the grid for the Feature Race behind Martins, with Hadjar in fourth.

Aron loses P3 after disqualification

After the race, Aron was disqualified from the Sprint race for breaching Article 1.5.2 of the FIA F2 Technical Regulations.

This meant Beganovic inherited third, earning his first podium in F2, as Bearman moved up the order to fourth and Hadjar to fifth – gaining an extra point.

The gap in the standings between Bortoleto and Hadjar was reduced to four and a half points.

Browning moved up to sixth, Verschoor to seventh and Jak Crawford claimed the final point after Aron’s DSQ.

In a document released by the FIA, it read: “The DRS actuator had been modified to extend the length by one millimetre, allowing a wider opening of the DRS wing.

“Article 1.5.2 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship Technical Regulations states that no parts may be modified in any way whatsoever once supplied to the competitor, except where
specifically permitted.

“The standard penalty for a technical infringement is disqualification.

“In this case, however, there is a strong presumption that the team was aware of the non conformity of the part (or at least should have been, if they had exercised due diligence).”

The race stewards determined that because of the “seriousness and nature of the offence” an additional penalty would be “appropriate”, therefore the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver will also start the Feature race from the pit lane.

With Aron now starting from the pit lane, Hadjar will start third behind his title rival Bortoleto in second as Martins lines up from pole position in the Feature race.

For the rest of the top 10, Beganovic gains a place into fourth, Maini fifth, Marti sixth, Miyata seventh, Durksen eighth, Cordeel ninth and Antonelli 10th if he is deemed well enough to race on Sunday.

If not, Oliver Goethe will complete the top 10 for the starting grid.

READ MORE: Victor Martins takes Abu Dhabi F2 pole ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto

The post Pepe Marti wins Abu Dhabi Sprint race, Gabriel Bortoleto extends F2 championship lead appeared first on Motorsport Week.