The Formula 1 driver shuffle is over, at least for now. In the last of three moves associated with the Red Bull Racing organization, Isack Hadjar was named Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate on Red Bull’s second F1 team, which is now called Racing Bulls.
Meet Isack Hadjar
Hadjar is the most recent promotion from the Red Bull Junior program to a seat in an F1 race car. The Junior platform, which Red Bull began in 2001, has now promoted nineteen young drivers. Among the earlier promotes are Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen.
Hadjar is 20 years old. He has driven for the Campos Racing team for two years and finished second in total points this year. The 2024 F2 Champion, Gabriel Bortoleto, was promoted earlier to drive for the Kick Sauber F1 team in 2025.
His partner on the Racing Bulls team will be four-year veteran Yuki Tsunoda. “I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki,” Hadjar said. “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.”
The Red Bull three-step
Hadjar’s promotion answers the succession questions that began when Sergio Perez announced he was leaving the Red Bull organization at the end of the year. Perez had a disappointing year overall despite a two-year contract extension in June. Red Bull senior management met earlier this week, and Perez disclosed his exit.
Before Perez’s departure, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said the two Racing Bull drivers, Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, were candidates to replace Perez as the four-time World Champion Max Verstappen teammate. Red Bull chose Lawson, a relatively new addition to Racing Bulls, when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo in September.
Lawson’s promotion left an empty seat with Racing Bulls, which we now know Hadjar will fill.
