Hadjar at FP1 this weekend with Red Bull

The wave of young drivers continues this weekend at Silverstone. After the confirmations of Colapinto, Bearman, and Doohan, it is the turn of French driver Isack Hadjar, Formula 2 driver for the Campos team, to be announced by Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez during the first hour of testing still under the FIA regulations requiring all participating teams to have rookies (drivers who have done 2 Grand Prix or less in Formula 1) drive in at least two free practice sessions.

The Frenchman competing in the Formula championship and currently in second place of the championship, just 11 points behind the current leader, Estonian Paul Aron of the Hitech team. The Frenchman will therefore have to juggle this weekend between his usual Formula 2 program and this first free practice session in Formula 1.

Hadjar nevertheless considers himself happy with this opportunity, he who has already participated in two test sessions last year; one in Mexico when he replaced Tsunoda at AlphaTauri for an experience he described as the most beautiful day of his life and another in the final round in Abu Dhabi when he took the place of Dutch world champion Max Verstappen.

A well-deserved award in view of his Formula 2 season

It is a way for Red Bull to show him the confidence it is giving him, as he is currently having a very satisfying second season in Formula 2 with 4 podiums, but most importantly two wins in the main race, in Australia and then in Imola, allowing him to see the driver’s title as clearly achievable.

« We’re playing for the title, no choice. Honestly, I am very confident in my chances. You have to stay consistent and limit mistakes. The Frenchman shows admirable consistency, so much so that Helmut Marko, known for being very demanding with young drivers, is charmed by the character of the young French hopeful and hopes to one day promote him to a formula as a full-time driver.

All the more so as Hadjar benefits from a certain advantage compared to the other members of the Red Bull program. Indeed, Lawson cannot participate in these free practice sessions since he has taken part in more than 2 Grand Prix when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo, who had hand surgery following his accident during the free practice session in Zandvoort.

The other young drivers, on the other hand, are less likely to be able to take part in these tests due to their lack of experience, especially Arvin Lindblad or Tim Tranmitz currently involved in Formula 3, or even Hadjar’s teammate at Campos, the Spaniard Pepe Marti, who is discovering Formula 2.

This is therefore a golden opportunity for the French driver to show what he is capable of in a top team and prove, despite the rumors about Liam Lawson, that he can also be a serious candidate for a Racing Bulls seat in 2025.