Isack Hadjar Driver Profile: Red Bull’s Rising Star and ‘Le Petit Prost’ of Formula 1

Isack Hadjar profile ©RedBullMedia

This Isack Hadjar driver profile covers everything you need to know about one of Formula 1’s most exciting young talents. Isack Alexandre Hadjar is a French and Algerian racing driver who competes under the French flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. He was born on 28 September 2004 in Paris, France, to an Algerian family of physicians and physicists. Still only 21 years old, Hadjar is already racing at F1’s highest level as teammate to Max Verstappen, and the whole paddock is paying attention.

Isack Hadjar: key facts

Full name: Isack Alexandre Hadjar
Date of birth: 28 September 2004
Nationality: French / Algerian
Current team: Oracle Red Bull Racing
Car number: #6
Teammate: Max Verstappen
Nickname: “Le Petit Prost”

Isack is named after the famous physicist Isaac Newton. He initially fell in love with motorsport after watching the Pixar animated movie Cars, and his parents bought him a go-kart when he was seven. He also competed in boxing and judo at a young age. It is a fun, humble background for a driver now sitting alongside the most dominant force in modern F1.

Junior Career and the Road to Formula 1

The road to F1 was quite a journey for Paris-born Hadjar, who built on early promise in karting to reach the top step of the podium during his first full season of single-seater competition. With those foundational French F4 campaigns behind him, Hadjar continued the learning process in Formula Regional European and the F3 Asian series through 2021, before combining Formula Regional Asian and F3 in 2022, when he also became a member of the Red Bull Junior Team.

Fresh from claiming three race victories and finishing fourth in the F3 standings, Hadjar had hoped to kick on when he stepped up to F2 for 2023, only to end the year winless and with some question marks surrounding his future. But he responded brilliantly. Hadjar moved to Campos Racing in 2024, where he finished second in a fiercely contested championship battle with Gabriel Bortoleto. In FIA Formula 2, he became vice-champion in 2024, securing four feature race victories and earning the Aramco Best Performance Award for his breakthrough weekend in Melbourne.

His aggressive driving style and overtaking prowess earned him widespread praise and the nickname “Le Petit Prost” in French media, referencing four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost. Alongside his Formula 2 commitments, Hadjar participated in Formula 1 free practice sessions with Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2023 and Red Bull Racing in 2024.

F1 Debut Season in 2025: From Tears to Triumph

Isack Hadjar was the final rookie to be announced for the 2025 season after a dramatic winter reshuffle at Red Bull, which involved Liam Lawson replacing Sergio Perez, and the French-Algerian picking up the vacant seat at Racing Bulls. His debut could not have started worse. His F1 career began in the worst possible manner as he crashed out of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on the formation lap. Hadjar was in tears and comforted by Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony Hamilton.

But Hadjar is not the type to stay down. He made back-to-back Q3 appearances at the next two races in Shanghai and Suzuka, two tracks he had never driven at, then scored points in Saudi Arabia, Imola, Monaco and Spain, making the last part of qualifying at those European rounds.

The season highlight came at Zandvoort. He qualified fourth for the Dutch Grand Prix, where he held position from frontrunners Charles Leclerc and George Russell before passing the retiring Lando Norris near the end to clinch third, becoming the fifth-youngest podium finisher in Formula One history and the first Arab driver to do so. Hadjar became the youngest Frenchman to stand on the podium at 20 years old. Even Verstappen was impressed. “Honestly, coming in as a rookie is not easy with these cars,” said Verstappen. “For him to be on the podium here is fully deserved. I think he had a great weekend, but also drove a great race.”

Following further points in Azerbaijan, São Paulo and Las Vegas, Hadjar finished 12th in the Drivers’ Championship with 51 points. He ended the year on 51 points to teammate Liam Lawson’s 38, earning a promotion for 2026. You can read more about his racing rivals like Charles Leclerc in our dedicated driver profiles section.

2026: Max Verstappen’s Teammate at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar stepped up to Red Bull in 2026 to partner Max Verstappen, with Arvid Lindblad making his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson. It is a huge move. Hadjar became Verstappen’s fourth teammate in the space of 13 months after Tsunoda, Lawson and Sergio Perez.

The 2026 season has been a mixed but encouraging story so far for Hadjar. After his teammate Max Verstappen crashed out of Q1 at the Australian GP, Hadjar qualified in third place, only to lose it with an early engine failure during the race. Both Red Bulls came out pointless at the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, though Hadjar was the team’s only points-scorer in eighth from a ninth-place start after Verstappen experienced a coolant leak. There were difficult moments too, including a tough Miami weekend. After a pointless finish in the sprint, qualifying and finishing ninth, he was disqualified from ninth in Grand Prix qualifying, broke parc fermé, started from the pit lane, and then crashed out of the race on lap four.

However, Hadjar bounced back strongly, including a fifth place at the Canadian Grand Prix. He had 39 points and ninth in the standings by the time the Austrian Grand Prix came round, with Red Bull pushing hard on their major upgrade package at Spielberg.

Then came the injury. Hadjar hurt his wrist in a boxing session during the summer break and was ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix. Sky Sports F1 reported it as a fracture and described a roughly six-week rehabilitation. He missed three races in all, at Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, with Liam Lawson standing in at Red Bull and Yuki Tsunoda taking Lawson’s place at Racing Bulls.

Red Bull announced on 23 September that he was fit to return: “Having made a successful recovery from his wrist injury, Isack will return to action at the Baku City Circuit on Thursday.” Hadjar told reporters he expected the wrist to still be sore, saying he thought he should be okay to race. The same day, Red Bull confirmed him alongside Verstappen for 2027. Hadjar said he was “really excited to continue with Oracle Red Bull Racing”, and on how the deal came about he said: “if you are good, you stay, and that is it.”

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies summed up the team’s confidence well. “For Isack, in his first F1 season, he has displayed great maturity and proved to be a quick learner. Most importantly, he has demonstrated the raw speed that is the number one requirement in this sport.” The top teams are all pushing hard with upgrades at the Austrian GP, so this could be the race where Hadjar really turns his season around.

Driving Style and What Makes Hadjar Unique

Known for his aggressive racecraft and raw speed, Hadjar earned the nickname “Le Petit Prost” in French media, referencing his calculated driving style reminiscent of Alain Prost. That blend of aggression and calculation is rare. He can attack hard, but he is also smart enough to manage tyres, pace himself and wait for the right moment. That mental maturity impressed everyone throughout his rookie season.

Off the track, Hadjar comes across as grounded and genuine. He was appointed global brand ambassador by Devialet in April 2026, a French audio brand, which reflects his growing profile beyond F1. His father Yassine Hadjar is a researcher in quantum mechanics and also served as his kart mechanic. He holds dual Algerian and French citizenship. That dual identity is also historically significant. Isack Hadjar is the first Algerian driver to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport.

He is also the kind of driver who responds to pressure with performance rather than panic. The formation lap crash in his very first F1 race could have broken a young driver. Instead, it seemed to sharpen him. Every setback in 2025 and into 2026 has been followed by a stronger performance. With the FIA pushing forward new regulations including wet-weather boost mode changes that could shake up racing in 2026, Hadjar’s adaptability will be one of his biggest assets going forward. Keep an eye on this one. He has only just started.

Profile last updated 24 September 2026.