Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently gave an interview to German F1 broadcaster RTL, where he discussed the decision to promote Isack Hadjar to Racing Bulls.
The French driver completed the 2025 F1 grid when he was announced to be racing for Racing Bulls in the upcoming season.
Hadjar’s announcement followed Sergio Pérez’s exit and the subsequent promotion of Liam Lawson to Red Bull Racing. Lawson’s move making room for Hadjar at Racing Bulls.
Hadjar showing promise in F1 machinery
The 20-year-old showed great promise during F1 free practice sessions. Hadjar took over driving duties from Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi and Sergio Perez in Silverstone.
In F2 this year, Hadjar was very quick but missed out on the title to Gabriel Bortoleto, in no small part due to engine issues throughout the season.
He also participated in the Young Driver Test, in Abu Dhabi following the conclusion of the 2024 F1 season.
The performance of Isack Hadjar in an F1 car during those tests showed great promise, says Helmut Marko.
“Isack Hadjar is French, of Algerian descent.
“He only placed second in the Formula 2 Championship but lost over 80 points through technical defects. This shows that he was by far the fastest.
“His tests in the Formula One car, when he stepped in on Fridays, the Young Driver Test, were extremely promising. It’s also a sign or continuation of what (Dietrich) Mateschitz started.
“The sister team Racing Bulls is for young drivers to train, for young drivers who will then have a chance to move up to Red Bull Racing with the appropriate level of success.
“So, the old saying, we don’t buy stars, we make stars, has been re-confirmed in this instance with our Red Bull Junior work and this philosophy.”
Hadjar emotional like Tsunoda, says Marko
For the upcoming 2025 F1 season, Hadjar will partner Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, and Marko believes that this partnership “could cause some problems” for Racing Bulls, as the two drivers share a similar temperament.
Quite often in F2 there was a lot of frustration and anger from Hadjar when things went against him.
“He’s extremely fast and is as emotional as Yuki.
“That could cause some problems for Racing Bulls. But he is still much younger, and I hope that we can reduce that.
“He gives good technical feedback, and although he has never won a championship, he has always been right up there with the front runners.
“And we believe that he can become one of the greats in terms of speed.”
