Isack Hadjar
Isack Hadjar is a French Formula 1 driver promoted to Oracle Red Bull Racing for the 2026 season after a strong rookie campaign with Racing Bulls in 2025. Born 28 September 2004 in Paris, he is the partner to four-time World Champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull's bet on a long-term replacement for the team's championship-winning driver lineage.
Background
- Born 28 September 2004 in Paris, France[1]
- French (with Algerian and Moroccan heritage)
- F1 debut: 2025 Australian Grand Prix, Racing Bulls
- Junior career: FIA Formula 3 race winner, FIA Formula 2 (2024) competitive season
Career arc
Hadjar's path to Red Bull's senior team followed the classic Red Bull Junior Team progression: F3 to F2 to Racing Bulls to the main Red Bull seat. His 2025 season at Racing Bulls produced multiple points finishes and a few standout race weekends that convinced Red Bull's leadership he was ready for the senior promotion[1].
The 2026 promotion paired him with Max Verstappen. The challenge is well-documented in F1 history: drivers placed alongside Verstappen have struggled to match his race-day pace, particularly Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon during the 2019-2020 period.
2026 season context
:::analysis The competitive picture for Hadjar in 2026 is set by two factors: Red Bull's relative pace (currently behind Mercedes through the early rounds) and the standard challenge of any second driver paired with Verstappen.
A sophomore season after a strong rookie year typically produces a step forward, but the step in equipment from Racing Bulls to Red Bull's main team is also a step in expectations. Hadjar's race results through the early 2026 rounds reflect a driver still calibrating to a higher-pressure environment alongside one of the strongest drivers of the modern era. :::
Driving style
Hadjar's reputation in junior categories was for technical car control and patience under pressure. His ability to manage tyre stints in F2 was a particular strength that translated well to the F1 long-stint requirements of races like Spa, Suzuka, and Monaco.
Monaco 2026 context
Hadjar's first Monaco F1 weekend was 2025 (with Racing Bulls). The 2026 visit comes with Red Bull machinery, which historically produces stronger Monaco qualifying than Racing Bulls. As at every Monaco weekend, qualifying is the deciding session of the weekend (see why Monaco qualifying matters more than the race). For the full strategic picture see the Monaco 2026 strategy guide.
Statistics
- 2026 team: Oracle Red Bull Racing
- 2025 team: Visa Cash App Racing Bulls
- Red Bull Junior Team graduate
- [1]Isack Hadjar (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-05-25.
- [2]Isack Hadjar — F1 Driver for Red Bull (formula1). Accessed 2026-05-25.