After a heartbreaking F1 debut in Melbourne, Isack Hadjar has proven his mettle in the first half of his rookie season. Hadjar was one of the more underrated rookies entering the 2025 season, having no junior category titles to his name, but he has quickly demonstrated his pace.
The rookie driver has scored a total of 21 points through 12 races, outscoring both former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, and current teammate Liam Lawson.
Early pressures and an unfortunate DNS at the Australian GP
Isack Hadjar had to face an immense amount of scrutiny from the media, Red Bull, and F1 fans. Having had no championship wins under his belt (such as Gabriel Bortoleto), nor an oversized amount of hype around him (Ollie Bearman, Kimi Antonelli), Hadjar had to prove why he belonged in the sport.
In his debut at the Australian GP, the rookie spun and crashed his Racing Bulls car on the formation lap under intense wet conditions. It also saw the DNFs of three other rookies, as well as veteran drivers Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.
Helmut Marko, advisor for Red Bull Racing, publicly shamed Hadjar’s show of emotions while the rookie was walking back to the paddock after his DNS. This was a worst-case scenario for Isack.
Hadjar and the Racing Bulls team had a better outing at the Chinese GP, with him and teammate Yuki Tsunoda making it into Q3. Although a conservative three-stop strategy kept Hadjar from finishing higher, the rookie finished with a decent P11.
Points in his third F1 race start, beating Lawson head-to-head
Left slightly dissatisfied after Shanghai, Hadjar came out swinging at the Japanese GP. Despite severe seat belt discomfort, the Franco-Algerian driver swung a P7 start. Starting ahead of 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Isack Hadjar fended off a late charge from Alex Albon to take home P8.
With a new teammate in Liam Lawson, Hadjar could now be compared against a driver closer to his experience level.
Hadjar entered the Bahrain GP with confidence, having scored points in Japan. The rookie had a great start to the weekend, with three top 7 free practice appearances and a P12 in qualifying. Although the car had pace in Bahrain, Hadjar was left wanting after a big bout of wheelspin at the beginning of the race ruined his chance at points. Racing Bulls teammate Lawson had an even more unfortunate race, accruing 15 seconds worth of penalties.
Hadjar collected a singular point in Saudi Arabia after a mega charge to P6 midway through the race. The only barrier to scoring more was a team effort from Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz that kept the Thai driver firmly ahead of Hadjar as Racing Bulls went on the alternate strategy.
0.168 seconds was the gap from Hadjar in P11 to Tsunoda in P10 in Miami, the Franco-Algerian just missing out on a second consecutive points finish. However, his luck turned a corner at the next round in Imola.
Hadjar’s success on Saturday creates a monumental three-race points finish streak
Although it was only his seventh start in F1, Hadjar’s P9 points finish in Imola left him wanting more. This insatiable, winning attitude has proven to be a signature aspect of Hadjar as a driver. When the Racing Bulls car is solid, there is almost nothing the rest of the grid can do to stop the rookie from charging up the field.
An important factor to note in Hadjar’s success through Imola, Monaco, and Spain is his qualifying prowess. The Imola GP began a five-race streak of Q3 appearances, including a massively impressive P6 start in Monaco.
P9 in Imola, P6 in Monaco, and P7 in Spain; Hadjar commanded attention. He was handily beating his teammate, Liam Lawson, and regularly fighting with the front-runners. Everyone, including myself, was eating their words about Hadjar’s worthiness to be in Formula One.
The streak ended at the Canadian GP, where Hadjar started from P12 after receiving a three-place grid drop for impeding Carlos Sainz. The Franco-Algerian finished in a F1 career low of P16, massively disappointed in the deg of the tyres and Racing Bull’s strategy.
P16, being a rookie’s worst-ever finish, is a huge accomplishment. It didn’t take long for the driver to get back to form.
A bittersweet run up to the halfway mark of the season
In Austria, Hadjar was in the running for points, racing up in P8 at the beginning of the race before late-race floor damage affected his pace. He finished in 12th place, feeling very frustrated with the way the weekend turned out.
The British GP was particularly challenging for the rookie, who crashed into Kimi Antonelli in the zero-visibility rain conditions and retired from the race.
Predictions for Hadjar’s future
With the pace Isack Hadjar has shown in the first half of his rookie F1 season, I don’t think a podium finish would be unrealistic. If the Racing Bulls car consistently stays at the top of the midfield teams, Hadjar’s skill as a driver, combined with a touch of luck, could put him in the top three.
As for Hadjar’s future in the sport, I believe that his insatiable approach to racing will propel him toward a seat in one of the top teams. Once he gains a bit more experience and gets over some of the growing pains of F1, Hadjar will be a true fixture within the sport.
I admit, I severely underestimated Hadjar before the start of the season. I questioned why he deserved a shot at Racing Bulls when proven winners of the junior series waited in the wings. Isack Hadjar has become undeniable after his rough start in Melbourne, and I am happy to say I was wrong. I look forward to watching him establish a solid foundation as the season progresses and continues to find further success in F1.
