Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Isack Hadjar

  • Hadjar earns Red Bull seat as Lindblad joins Racing Bulls

    Isack Hadjar will be stepping up to Red Bull in 2026 to partner Max Verstappen, with Arvid Lindblad making his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson.

    Red Bull and Racing Bulls were the only teams to have free seats for 2026, though Hadjar has long been expected to replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull alongside four-time World Champion Verstappen after a stellar rookie season.

    Hadjar has scored points in 10 Grands Prix this season, including a superb maiden podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Red Bull junior, Lindblad emerged as a candidate for promotion to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls after delivering some strong races in feeder series F2 and impressing when driving a Red Bull in Free Practice 1 outings at Silverstone and in Mexico.

    That left Tsunoda and Lawson to fight for the remaining seat at Racing Bulls, with the latter coming out on top to secure a second full campaign with the team – Lawson having replaced Daniel Ricciardo at the team midway through 2024.
    While Tsunoda loses his seat on the grid, he will remain part of the family as a reserve driver for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls in 2026.

    Yuki has raced in Red Bull colours for seven years now and I have had the pleasure of working with him at both Red Bull teams. Through his five seasons so far in Formula One, Yuki has matured into a complete racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and capable of exceptional starts and excellent race craft on Sunday. Everyone in the sport would agree it is impossible not to like Yuki, his personality is infectious, and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family. On behalf of everyone at Red Bull, I thank him for what he has contributed so far and we know he will provide invaluable support to the 2026 projects moving forwards. As 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. We believe Isack can thrive alongside Max and produce the magic on track! 2026 will be a huge challenge for the Team and for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, these are exciting times, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do together.
    Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing.

    I’m so grateful to Oracle Red Bull Racing for giving me the opportunity and trust to race at the highest level of Formula One. After all the hard work I have put in since joining the Junior Team, it’s such a great reward. I’ve had many ups and downs throughout my career, and they kept believing and pushing me. This year with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls has been absolutely amazing, I’ve learnt a lot and secured a maiden podium. I feel I’m much better as a racing driver and a person, due to the Team‘s support and preparation. I feel ready to go to Oracle Red Bull Racing and I am happy and proud they feel the same. It’s an awesome move, to work with the best and learn from Max is something I can’t wait for.
    Isack Hadjar on the promotion.

    Firstly, a huge congratulations to Isack. He has delivered a truly outstanding season, demonstrating exceptional race-craft and consistency well beyond his experience. He has fully earned his step up to Red Bull Racing and we wish him nothing but the best as he takes on this exciting new challenge in his career – we are proud to have been part of the journey. Liam has shown impressive performance and professionalism throughout this year, he has excelled when conditions have been at their hardest and we look forward to building on this in 2026, while Arvid’s rapid progression marks him as one of the standout young talents in the sport. Together, they form a strong and dynamic pairing, one that embodies the ambition and youthful spirit of VCARB as we enter a transformative new era for Formula 1.
    Alan Permane, Racing Bulls Team Principal.

    I’d like to thank everyone at VCARB for the opportunity. Since I started this journey at five years old, it was always my goal to be in Formula 1 so it’s a proud moment to take this step. I’m extremely grateful to the Red Bull Junior Programme and my personal team for their guidance, mentorship and belief; none of this would have been possible without their support. 2026 will be a big challenge and I know there’s a lot to learn, but I’m ready to work closely with the team and rise to it. I can’t wait to get started, it’s going to be an exciting year!
    Lindblad on joining Formula 1.

  • Hadjar signs for RB

    Isack Hadjar will be making his Formula 1 debut this year as he takes the final seat on the grid after agreeing a deal to become Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate at RB.

    Red Bull Junior, Hadjar impressed in his second season in Formula 2, he finished as runner-up to Kick Sauber bound Gabriel Bortoleto with Campos Racing.

    After Sergio Perez was confirmed to be parting ways with Red Bull ahead of the 2025 season, Liam Lawson stepped up from RB in his place meaning there was a vacancy at RB for Hadjar.
    Red Bull opted to make Hadjar the 19th driver promoted to F1 from their junior programme, which began back in 2001.

    He follows in the footsteps of four time world champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel as well as eight time race winner Daniel Ricciardo.

    I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB. This is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning. The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula 1 is the moment I’ve working towards my whole life – it is the dream. I feel like I’m stepping into a whole new universe, driving a much faster car and racing with the best drivers in the world. It’ll be a huge learning curve, but I’m ready to work hard and do the best I can for the team. I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki. 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.
    Hadjar on the news

    We’re excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025. His journey to Formula 1 has been nothing short of outstanding. He has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks. He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact. I believe Isack and Yuki will make a great team. Yuki brings invaluable experience to the team. He’s shown incredible resilience and maturity, which will be crucial for the team as we strive to hit all our aims and objectives in 2025.
    Team Principal, Laurent Mekies.

    Firstly, we must congratulate Liam for his step up to Red Bull Racing. As a sister team and as an incubator for Formula 1 talent, our strategic objective is to foster and nurture our drivers in preparation for this next step. With his move and by bringing Isack into VCARB, it’s a testament to our longstanding commitment to develop the best young drivers in motorsport, as well as proof of concept of the Red Bull junior programme. Having a younger driver supports our mission to speak to a younger audience, so we look forward to bringing new and existing fans on the journey with us.
    CEO, Peter Bayer.

  • F2 – RND 8 Round-Up

    Day 1-
    Practice-

    Joshua Duerksen set the pace on the wet weather tyres in free practice, ending the session quickest of all for AIX Racing.
    The Paraguayan set a 1:58.064 to finish the session on top, with Josep Maria Marti second for Campos and teammate Taylor Barnard in third.

    Championship leader, Paul Aron was the first underneath the two-minute mark, setting a 1:59.526 on the wet tyres to go fastest in the opening 10 minutes.

    Zak O’Sullivan and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford then set identical times, though the ART Grand Prix driver recorded his 1:59.884 first to claim P2, with the American third.

    With just over 15 minutes remaining of the session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli went to the top briefly before teammate Oliver Bearman took over, going quickest after setting a 1:59.474 leaving the top three separated by just 0.052s.

    Franco Colapinto prompted plenty of drivers to return to the track on slick hard tyres, though they all struggled with the surface still damp around most of the circuit.

    All that tried the white-walled tyre struggled to find the necessary grip, with late yellow flags courtesy of O’Sullivan running through the gravel at Stowe before rejoining the track, with Marti repeating the off just moments later.

    Qualifying-

    Isack Hadjar took a hugely important pole position at Silverstone, as the Campos Racing driver led the pack on a 1:39.368, capitalising on an error by title rival and championship leader Paul Aron that left the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver down in 12th following a spin.

    ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins making it an all-French front row , while Dennis Hauger found a late improvement to secure P3 with his final lap.

    Home favourite Oliver Bearman, recorded the initial time to beat, 1:40.918 putting him a tenth clear of Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini in the early running, until Aron split the pair to go P2, 0.040s down on the PREMA.

    Hauger was next go quickest, 1:40.554 but that was beaten twice over. Zane Maloney slotted into P2 just behind Maini who moved up to first on his next lap.
    Aron then found time to go fastest on a 1:40.181 with 20 minutes remaining.

    Getting his first lap on the second set of tyres underway, Aron suffered a spin at Turn 1 which left him with major flatspots as everyone else improved.
    Title rival Hadjar leapt up to provisional pole with a 1:39.368 in the Campos car.

    Having been inside the top 10, Maloney lost a time for track limits to leave Aron in P10, but an improvement from Ritomo Miyata in the Rodin Motorsport car bumped the Championship leader out of the top 10.

    Hadjar peeled into the pitlane with a minute and a half to go while the majority continued on their way for a final attempt.
    Maloney put himself back into the top 10 on his final attempt, going ninth-fastest for Rodin, though he was one of the only improvements in the final minute.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Hauger, P4: Colapinto, P5: Bearman, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Crawford, P8: Maini, P9: Maloney and P10: Antonelli.

    Day 2-

    After a formation lap behind the Safety Car, racing got underway with a rolling start with heavier rain closing in quickly. Antonelli retained his lead but teammate Oliver Bearman was battling Gabriel Bortoleto in the opening corners and the pair made slight contact, leaving the Brit with a broken front wing.

    Bortoleto was undeterred and rounded Jak Crawford on the outside of Copse and into Maggots with a brave move for P4.
    Torrential rain arrived to close out the first lap as Antonelli built up a 2.5s lead over Maloney in second.

    With damage to his front wing, Bearman dropped down the order, losing places to Franco Colapinto, Dennis Hauger and Victor Martins in the space of half a lap.
    A virtual safety car was then deployed on lap 3 to recover the endplate of Bearman.

    As racing resumed, Paul Aron caught his title rival napping to secure P10 from Isack Hadjar on the approach to Maggotts and Becketts.
    Zak O’Sullivan relegated the Frenchman to 12th into Abbey at the end of the lap, before Hadjar then ran off the road at Turn 1.

    After a brief pause in action to allow the rain to ease off, racing resumed entering lap 7, with another rolling start and once again, Antonelli kept hold of the lead.

    On lap 8, contact between Marti and Championship leader Aron left both out of the race, while in a separate incident, Hadjar found himself in the gravel following a spin at Copse. This then brought out another Safety Car.

    Racing got back underway on lap 13 with Antonelli leading comfortably once more while Bearman made a pass on Hauger at Turn 4 to secure eighth.
    Colapinto then moved ahead of Hauger into Brooklands and cleared Bearman after the Briton ran through the gravel at Copse dropping him to 18th.

    O’Sullivan was on the move next on lap 14, rounding Colapinto on the outside of Copse for seventh position to continued his charge through the pack.
    Onto lap 16, and the Brit was attacking his teammate but contact between the pair at the loop left Martins spinning O’Sullivan with damage, putting them both out of the race.

    Back to racing conditions again and Roman Stanek had been had been hustling Miyata for eighth and the Trident driver secured P8 from the Rodin driver with three laps to go.

    Heading into the penultimate lap, Colapinto looked to have cleared Crawford for fifth around the outside of Stowe, but the DAMS Lucas Oil driver fought back into Abbey to retake the spot.

    Onto the final lap and the all-Invicta battle for the last spot on the podium could hardly be split, the pair almost colliding several times on a frantic final tour.

    Up ahead though, Antonelli was uncatchable and the Italian won his first F2 race by over eight second to Zane Maloney in second.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Maloney, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Maini, P5: Colapinto, P6: Crawford, P7: Hauger, P8: Stanek, P9: Barnard and P10: Miyata.

    Day 3-

    Wheelspin for Hadjar allowed ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins to take the lead while Oliver Bearman got a perfect launch in his PREMA car to rise up to second from fifth on the grid.
    Both MP Motorsport drivers fell back however, dropping from third and fourth to eighth and ninth, Franco Colapinto leading Dennis Hauger.

    Crawford profited to take those two spots for P4, as Gabriel Bortoleto took fifth around the outside of Maloney at Copse corner.
    That move came just before a lap 1 safety car for the stranded Andrea Kimi Antonelli, stationary at Turn 3 after a spin in the opening exchanges following contact with Kush Maini.

    Racing then resumed on Lap 3, but the Safety Car was back out almost immediately after a spin for Joshua Duerksen coming through Woodcote.

    Fighting Championship leader Paul Aron for position, the AIX Racing driver got onto the grass that left him spinning into the gravel, but he tagged the right rear of the Hitech en route, which left the Estonian with a puncture and forced to pit.

    Hadjar had been close to Bearman’s rear wing, and he got the move done for second place with DRS down the Hangar straight on lap 8. Both pitted at the end of the lap for their switch to the hard tyres.

    After a flurry of pitstops, Hadjar closed down compatriot Martins and the ART driver was under serious threat from the Campos behind him.
    With DRS on lap 12, Hadjar almost pulled off a pass around the outside of Stowe but had to concede the place after running wide over track limits.

    Ending lap 18, Hadjar went side-by-side with Martins through the Vale chicane in an attempt to pass but couldn’t get the move done.
    The Alpine Academy Junior ran wide at the final corner to re-open the door and then went off at Turn 1 to allow Hadjar through.

    The ART driver then lost places to Crawford and Maloney in the process as he rejoined at Turn 3, while the American profited from their battle to take the lead of the race from Hadjar entering the Wellington Straight.

    Onto Lap 25, Bortoleto was able to clear Bearman into Stowe for eighth position as the fight for the points continued.

    Colpainto was back ahead of Martins and into sixth with five laps remaining but his progress stalled out with three to go as those ahead pushed on in pursuit of Crawford.

    Despite his best efforts, the American couldn’t pull the gap to Hadjar, who claimed his third victory in 2024 and the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with it.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Maloney, P3: Crawford, P4: Colapinto, P5: Martins, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Bearman, P8: Fittipaldi, P9: Hauger and P10: Marti.

  • Hadjar to make FP1 appearance for Red Bull

    F2 racer Isack Hadjar will turn out for Red Bull in FP1 at the British Grand Prix weekend, taking over Sergio Perez’s RB20.

    The Red Bull junior currently sits second in the 2024 F2 standings in what has been an impressive campaign so far for the 19 year old, with feature race victories in Melbourne and Imola particular highlights.

    The French driver’s upcoming appearance in first practice at Silverstone is his latest outing with F1 machinery, having made two FP1 appearances in 2023 – one for AlphaTauri in Mexico and one for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi.

    He will be joining some of his other F2 colleagues in FP1 with Franco Colapinto turning out for Williams, while Ollie Bearman will also be making another practice appearance for Haas.
    Alpine reserve driver, Jack Doohan, who race in F2 last year and finished third, will also be getting behind the wheel of Pierre Gasly’s car as he pushes for a seat on the 2025 grid.

    With a packed schedule over the British Grand Prix weekend, Hadjar will have to dovetail FP1 duties with Red Bull alongside his F2 duties for Campos Racing but it’s a chance he will surely relish.

    Under F1’s current regulations, each team must run a rookie in two FP1 sessions each campaign.

  • F2 – RND 4 Round-Up

    Practice-

    Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Paul Aron was the fastest of all during the Imola Free Practice session, setting a time of 1:28.852 to top the timesheets.
    He finished ahead of Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney.

    It was a busy start to the session as Trident’s Roman Stanek set the early pace, competing a lap of 1:30.784 to lead Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar by just 0.028s.

    The Frenchman then lowered the time to beat to a 1:29.805, edging out his nearest rival in Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini by just 0.040s.

    The fastest time continued to change hands and Dennis Hauger was the next driver to top the leaderboard. His lap of 1:29.539 put him clear of Championship leader Maloney by 0.088s.

    As the session entered its final stages, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron eclipsed Bortoleto’s time by 0.071s to take the top spot, before Maloeny crossed the line to go up third.

    There was a late red flag waved after PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman crashed into the barrier at the exit of Turn 4, and with little time remaining the session was not restarted.

    Qualifying-

    Gabriel Bortoleto earned pole position in an action-packed Imola Qualifying, a session impacted by track limits violations.
    The Invicta Racing driver completed a lap of 1:27.056 to take the top spot ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.

    With tyre preparation done, the early times started to filter through, and it was Bortoleto that led the way thanks to a alp of 1:28.044 edging out Hadjar by just 0.026s.

    The Invicta Racing driver then lowered the time to beat on his next flying effort, completing a 1:27.739 on this occasion.
    Also improving was Zane Maloney, with the Rodin Motorsport driver moving up to second, albeit 0.271 off the leading time.

    After returning to the pitlane for a new set of the Pirelli Supersoft tyres, the drivers returned to the track with 12 minutes left and this time it was Bearman who rocketed to the top of the timesheets.

    The PREMA driver’s 1:27.111 put him on top briefly pushing his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli down to second. Hadjar split the pair moments later as he went back up to P2.
    But then came Bortoleto on his final flying lap, and the Invicta rookie set a time of 1:27.056 to snatch pole position.

    Bearman and Antonelli did have their final laps provisionally deleted track limits, although the Stewards reinstated their times, along with several others, following the conclusion of the session.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Bearman, P3: Hadjar, P4: Antonelli, P5: Durksen, P6: Maloney, P7: Stanek, P8: Aron, P9: Colapinto and P10: Cordeel.

    Day 2-

    Aron made a fast start from P3, getting ahead of Colapinto and teammate Amaury Cordeel to take the lead into Turn 3. But the Safety Car was immediately required following contact between Roman Stanek and Isack Hadjar that led to several other incidents.

    We were back to racing on lap 6 as Aron extended his lead over his teammate Cordeel. A lap later, the Belgian went wide at the penultimate corner giving Colapinto the chance to overtake him for P2 down the main straight.

    By lap 9, Colapinto was beginning to close the gap to Aron while Cordeel, having dropped back from the top two, was coming under pressure from Zane Maloney, Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto.

    On lap 12, Colapinto was now within DRS range of Aron, while Maloney was beginning to attack Cordeel. However, both Hitech’s were proving difficult to pass.

    After biding his time behind the Hitech car, Maloney finally made his move past Cordeel around the outside at Turn 3 on lap 22, putting him on course for his fourth podium of the year.

    On the penultimate lap and having dropped back from the leader, Colapinto closed on Aron once more before making a last lap move past his fellow rookie around at the outside at Tamburello.

    The move earned the MP driver his first victory in Formula 2, while Aron took second place ahead of Maloney.
    The full top 10 are- P1: Colapinto, P2: Aron, P3: Maloney, P4: Cordeel, P5: Bearman, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Verschoor, P8: Maini, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Antonelli.

    Day 3-

    Pole-sitter Bortoleto suffered a slow getaway and dropped down to fourth at the start giving Oliver Bearman the lead of the line. This promoted Hadjar up to second, while Duerksen went to P3 from fifth on the grid.

    The conclusion of lap 6 brought the first pit stops, with Hadjar and Duerksen swapping their supersofts for the Mediums. Also coming into the pitlane was Zane Maloney and Roman Stanek, the latter jumping ahead of the Rodin Motorsport driver during the exchange.

    Bearman then led a gaggle of cars including Bortoleto, Colapinto and Aron into the pitlane on the next lap. The Prema driver stalled twice as he tried to pull away, handing Hadjar the effective race lead.

    Back in the battle for the effective race lead, Bortoleto was closing the gap to Hadjar. The Campos driver’s two second lead now just 1.3s by the end of lap 16.

    Further back, there was frustration for Maloney, who was being held up by Stanek and on lap 17, the Championship leader could see Jak Crawford, Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger closing in on his wing mirrors.

    Maloney was beginning to struggle and after giving the Bajan driver the hurry up on the radio Crawford made the move past him at the exit of Turn 7.

    By lap 30, the drivers on the alternative strategy were beginning to pit, but it was two bad stops for Cordeel and Marti, as both drivers had tyres come off their cars as they looked to come back out on track, ruling them out of the race.

    Back on track, Bortoleto had closed right up to Hadjar, but the Frenchman was proving tough in defence.
    The Red Bull Junior did just enough in the end to take his second feature race victory in F2, with Bortoleto settling for second, while Duerksen ran a strong race to finish third and making him the first driver from Paraguay on the podium in F2.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Duerksen, P4: Antonelli, P5: Colapinto, P6: Aron, P7: Crawford, P8: Correa, P9: Martins and P10: Verschoor.

  • F2 – RND 3 Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    A slow getaway from the front row gave Hadjar the momentum to take the lead, but as the Frenchman moved to pass pole-sitter Stanek, he tapped teammate Josep Maria Marti who collided with Gabriel Bortoleto.

    Victor Martins was a big winner of lap 1, where he climbed eight places from P21 to 13th in the space of half a lap.

    After five laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway entering lap 7, but Zane Maloney had a tough restart, dropping from fifth position to 10th after running into the gravel out of Turn 6.

    The fight for second was a five-car battle headed by Stanek, with the chasing pack bunched up behind closely. Going into Turn 12 on lap 10, a spin for Andrea Kimi Antonelli sent Richard Verschoor spinning also, while Paul Aron sustained front wing damage in the process.
    The PREMA and Trident drivers were out on the spot and the Safety Car was called upon.

    Back to racing, Hadjar got the jump on Stanek once again to establish a comfortable lead. A fastest lap with seven to go gave him a lead of three seconds over the Trident driver, who was defending hard from Maini behind.

    Onto the penultimate lap and Hauger finally got the move done on Maini to take third, sweeping around the outside of the Invicta driver at Turn 9 to take the place.

    Hadjar had disappeared into the distance after the final Safety Car and crossed the line to win by over six seconds.
    However, Isack Hadjar has been handed a 10 second time penalty after the race as he was found to cause a collision at the start of the race. Which means he loses his victory and drops down to sixth.

    So the top 10 is- P1: Stanek, P2: Hauger, P3: Maini, P4: Colapinto, P5: Miyata, P6: Hadjar, P7: Martins, P8: O’Sullivan, P9: Crawford and P10: Maloney.

    Day 3-

    Dennis Hauger got the perfect start to lead Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Turn 1. Contact further back in the pack between Zak O’Sullivan and Roman Stanek left the sprint winner spinning and put him last in the order.

    Further around the first lap, Antonelli made a dive to the inside of the polesitter to secure P1 at Turn 11, but the MP driver responded on the following tour to retake the lead at Turn 9.

    There was a brief virtual Safety Car on Lap 7 to recover Joshua Duerksen’s car following contact with O’Sullivan at Turn 13.
    Racing was resumed and Maini was on the move, he took the lead from Hauger on Lap 9 before the Norwegian led Antonelli and the first leaders in for mandatory stops, filtering back out just outside of the top 10.

    The polesitter’s day was over shortly afterwards though, as he crashed at Turn 6 to bring out the Virtual Safety Car on lap 11.
    Isack Hadjar made his mandatory stop before the VSC was deployed to come back out ahead of Antonelli on the road in 8th.

    Hadjar cleared the yet to stop Taylor Banard for sixth to put a car between himself and his closest rival. The Frenchman was on the move on the following lap, taking fifth from Enzo Fittipaldi at Turn 9.
    The Campos driver’s charge continued at the expense of Stanek on Lap 20, easing by the Trident driver with DRS on the back straight.

    Having cleared teammate Ritomo Miyata, Maloney was next to pass Barnard to move himself up to ninth position and he set off in pursuit of the PREMA driver further ahead.

    Lap 24, and with Stanek battling to stay ahead of Fittipaldi, the VAR driver ran out of room at Turn 4 to allow Aron, Antonelli and Maloney through.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Aron, P3: Maloney, P4: Antonelli, P5: Miyata, P6: Verschoor, P7: Colapinto, P8: Villagomez, P9: Martins and P10: Bearman.

    However, Colapinto has been disqualified from the race as he was found to have not engaged the race start set up procedure at the start of the race in breach of technical regulations. The Argentinian loses P7 with Jak Crawford moving up into the final points position.

  • Campos Racing announce line-up for 2024

    Campos Racing have confirmed Isack Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti as their driver line-up for the 2024 Formula 2 campaign.

    Hadjar joins Campos for his second F2 campaign after completing his rookie season with Hitech Pulse-Eight. The Red Bull Junior driver secured a maiden podium result in 2023, finishing the Spielberg Sprint Race in third position.

    For Marti, 2023 will be his rookie campaign and fourth consecutive season in Campos Racing colours, The Spaniard has raced with the team every year since he began racing in single seaters, most recently achieving three race victories en route to fifth overall in the 2023 F3 Drivers’ Standings.

    Marti said that the latest step up in his career was made all the more special as he continued his journey with Campos in F2.

    I am really looking forward to start working with the team. I now have a year of experience in the F2 championship and with the potential of the Campos team, we will reach the top!

    Hadjar on the news.

    It’s a dream come true to jump into a Formula 2, it’s another step in my journey and learning to reach Formula 1 in the future. As well with Campos Racing, the team which I’ve been with through all my single seater career, it’s a very special opportunity to test here at Abu Dhabi and I’m looking forward to learning quickly and enjoying every lap! Thanks to the team, my parents and the Red Bull Junior Team for making it happen, see you on Wednesday!

    Marti on the news moving up.

    We are proud to have a driver line-up consisting of two Red Bull junior drivers for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season. Isack and Pepe are two very young pilots but their skills and talent allow them to make rapid progress in every category. It will be a huge pleasure to work together and we will give our maximum to achieve the best possible results. I have no doubts that 2024 promises to be an exciting season for Campos Racing. The next season has already begun for us. Let’s rock!

    Team Principal, Adrian Campos Jr.

  • F2 – RND 12 – Round-up

    Day 1, Free Practice-

    Oliver Bearman returned from the summer break and hit the ground running at Zandvoort, topping Free Practice for PREMA Racing with a 1:22.715.
    The Brit ended up 0.396s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second, and his teammate Frederik Vesti in third, just 0.073s further back.

    Looking to get some dry laps under his belt after a wet Spa-Francorchamps debut, PHM Racing by Charouz’s Joshua Mason got some laps in early.

    The track continued to rubber in quickly, with Jak Crawford going half a second clear in P1 on his next lap. His Hitech Pluse-Eight teammate Isack Hadjar displaced him before Bearman, Ayumu Iwasa and then Martins took over.

    Vesti was next to set the quickest time, going one tenth clear with 20 minutes to go until Hauger put home team MP Motorsport on top with a 1:23.111.
    Martins had another minor off after running deep at Turn 11 but carried on without issue.

    Qualifying-

    Jak Crawford proved to the other drivers, how you start the session matters as much as how you finish, as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver secured his maiden Formula 2 pole position.

    As the American driver laid down a 1:21.210 on his second attempt of the Circuit, as three red flags denied the field a chance to improve.

    Dennis Hauger looked to have the pace but couldn’t complete his final two runs and was forced to settle for second by just 0.034s. Frederik Vesti bounced back after his disappointing weekend in Spa before the summer break by securing third.

    After the field pitted for their second sets of softs, disaster stuck for provisional pole sitter Crawford, the Hitech driver was forced to pit as he had a damaged front wing after contact with Novalak.

    Jehan Daruvala brought running to a halt with seven minutes remaining, spinning off on the exit of Turn 3 to trigger the Red Flag.

    After another red flag, it was a one lap shootout with less than four minutes left and Hauger continued to improved, but nobody could record a final time, as Novalak brought a red flag where he hit the barriers at Turn 3.

    Day 2, Sprint Race-

    Drama already began to unfold before lights out, as the expected rain fell on the Circuit Zandvoort. Championship leader, Pourchaire wasn’t able to take the start from reverse grid pole after a mechanical issue, forced the ART driver to being from the pit lane.

    Hadjar left it late on the rolling start, bolting off down the main straight to fend off Martin’s advances. Bearman pounced on Juan Manuel Correa, sliding past the Van Amersfoort Racing driver sliding past at Turn 1 for third.

    At the end of the top 10, contact between Kush Maini and Jake Crawford sent both cars spinning off at Turn 5, with Ralph Boschung unable to avoid colliding with his Campos Racing teammate. The Safety Car was deployed before being switch out for a Red Flag on Lap 3, as all three drivers clambered out of their cars.

    Following the lengthy break due to barrier repairs, the race was expected to resume with 22 minutes left on the clock, but the heavy downpours returned as Hadjar led the field back out behind the Safety Car.

    Given the torrential conditions, the Red Flag was waved for a second time, and it was swiftly confirmed that the race will not be restarted.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Bearman, P4: Correa, P5: Maloney, P6: Doohan, P7: Vesti, P8: Novalak, P9: Hauger and P10: Daruvala.
    However, no points were awarded due to the lack of racing and not going past the halfway mark.

    Day 3, Feature Race-

    Racing got underway with a rolling start in slipper conditions and Crawford got a perfect launch to retain the lead.
    Behind him, Championship contender Vesti suffered a spin at Turn 1 to fall from third to 19th position, while PREMA Racing teammate Oliver Bearman was tagged by Juan Manuel Correa and ran wide into the gravel at Turn 1.

    Victor Martins followed him off the track and both resumed in 14th and 15th respectively. Jack Doohan was another driver to hit trouble early, spinning in the last corner to bring out a Safety Car before the completion of Lap 1.

    Maloney was the first of the leading pack to make their mandatory pitstop from fourth position, switching from softs to mediums on lap 8. That pulled in leader Crawford, Dennis Hauger from P2 and Correa in third on the following lap.

    Championship leader, Pourchaire spun off the circuit whilst on his outlap after pitting, which caused him to crash out of the race at Turn 7.
    It then brought out the Safety Car but not before PREMA double-stacked their drivers. Vesti’s hope of retaking the lead of the Championship were dashed almost immediately though, losing both rear tyres on his outlap and he was too out of the running.

    After all the drama, Novalak led the pack having stopped just prior to the Safety Car intervention. Crawford followed ahead of Maloney, Verschoor, Martins, Bearman, Hauger, Fittipaldi and Cordeel in the top 10.

    Maloney had the momentum into Turn 1 and passed Crawford around the outside to take second. Behind them, Bearman looked to have a move done on Martins for fifth but the pair made contact on the exit of Turn 3, sending the PREMA driver into the barriers.

    With the Safety Car interventions, the race ran to time rather than the original 40 scheduled laps. With under 10 minutes to go, Maloney began to hunt down Novalak, closing to within two seconds and bringing Crawford in third along with him.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Novalak, P2: Maloney, P3: Crawford, P4: Verschoor, P5: Hauger, P6: Hadjar, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Cordeel, P9: Martins and P10: Correa.

  • HiTech confirm line-up for 2023

    HiTech Grand Prix will be fielding an all-Red Bull Junior driver line-up for the 2023 season, announcing that Isack Hadjar and Jak Crawford will be graduating to Formula 2.

    Both are familiar faces to the British team, with the pair having previously driven for them in Formula 3 – Crawford in 2021 and Hadjar most recently in 2022 – as well as getting their first taste of F2 machinery at post-season testing in Yas Marina last November.

    18 year old Hadjar, arrives off the back of a fourth-place finish in F3 last year. A title contender all the way to the final round, he managed to clinch three wins and a further two podiums.

    I’m really excited to be part of the Red Bull Junior team and continue this journey with Hitech for another year. Hopefully we can win some more races and have a strong season together.

    Hadjar on his seat for 2023.

    Meanwhile Crawford returns to HiTech after a year away, the American finished his debut F3 campaign 13th in the standings before switching to PREMA Racing for the 2022 season.

    There he scored one win and four podiums to take seventh, helping the Italian team to the Teams’ Championship title, alongside fellow 2023 graduates Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc.

    I am delighted to be back with Hitech for my first season of Formula 2. It will be a tough season with a strong grid but I am looking forward to what lies ahead.

    Crawford on his seat.

    We are excited to field once again two cars in FIA Formula 2 in Red Bull Junior Team colours, especially with two such promising young talents. Isack we saw first hand his last year as a rookie in Formula 3 and Jak we know him well from his first F3 season with us in 2021.

    Oliver Oakes, HiTech Team Principal.
  • F3 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    F3 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Holding his nerve until the final few minutes of the race, Isack Hadjar took the victory out of Victor Martins hands, with a breath-taking lunge around the ART Grand Prix driver on the penultimate lap was enough to secure his second Formula 3 win in his rookie season.

    Martins was forced to settle for second after sustaining pressure from rookie, Reece Ushijima in the final few laps, a brilliant effort from the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, who started on reverse grid pole, paid off to seal his maiden F3 podium in third.

    12th placed qualifier, Reece Ushijima had a little bit longer to wait to get off the line in his highest ever starting position. Ushijima had to led the field for a second formation lap after an issue for a slow Brad Benavides led to an aborted start.

    Determined to make up for a disappointing Fridays, Martins wasted no time driving up the inside of Ushijima to snatch the lead of the race and the VAR racer found himself under a bit of pressure from Maini going side-by-side in the opening sectors.

    But the full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Ushijima, P4: Maini, P5: Frederick, P6: Stanek, P7: Maloney, P8: Leclerc, P9: Bearman and P10: Crawford.

    Day 3-

    Zak O’Sullivan covered off Arthur Leclerc to retain the lead in the opening corners. Jak Crawford fought with Zane Maloney for third but was squeezed out by the Trident driver, allowing PREMA teammater Ollie Bearman to gain a run onto the Wellington Straight. The Briton tried to hang it around the outside, but Maloney made his Trident as wide as possible, heading into Luffield, Bearman didn’t back out which resulted in contact which spun the Bajan off track and down the order.

    Looking at the front of the gird, Leclerc had fought back and with a two down Hangar Straight, swept around the outside of O’Sullivan into Stowe. Just as the move happened the Safety Car was deployed and Leclerc relinquished the position to the Brit.

    O’Sullivan got a good restart, but Leclerc had clung with him and with DRS enabled on Lap 6, the Monegasque made a move and led the race. Hadjar and Crawford were fighting for fifth and the pair came to blows on Lap 8. Side-by-side out of the final corner and down the main straight, the duo entered Abbey with Crawford on the outside but just ahead, Hadjar narrowly clipped the rear right tyre of the PREMA driver, sending him off track and down to P8.

    A slight collision between Gregoire Saucy and Roman Stanek required both to pit at the end of lap 9 for repairs. The ART GP driver was able to re-join but the Trident driver was out of the race. Another Safety car was deployed, following a crash for Rafael Villagomez at Copse. Contact with Nazim Azmna resulted in the front wing becoming stuck underneath the VAR driver’s car, sending him straight into the barriers.

    With just three laps remaining, the top five was separated by just 1.5s, Bearman had been shaping up a move on Collet for several laps and finally made a lunge into Brookland on the penultimate lap for third.

    However, Leclerc was untroubled and secured his third victory in F3 and his first of the 2022 season! O’Sullivan came home to finish 2nd, his first podium in F3 and infront of his home crowd. And Ollie Bearman finished the podium places, in front of his home crowd aswell.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: O’Sullivan, P3: Bearman, P4: Collet, P5: Hadjar, P6: Crawford, P7: Martins, P8: Edgar, P9: Vidales and P10: Ushijima.

    We don’t have long to wait until we see F3 cars back on track, we are returning next week for Round 5 at Spielberg, Austria from the 8th to 10th July!

  • F3 Bahrain- Day 2 & 3

    F3 Bahrain- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    As the red light went out, O’Sullivan was automatically having to defend from Bearman on the run into the first corner. However further back in the pack, Roman Stanek and pole sitter for the Feature race- Franco Colapinto collided and were forced to pit for repairs.

    Arthur Leclerc was the standout mover as he found himself up in 9th following the opening laps after starting 13th.

    There was a 3 way battle between the ART Grand Prix team-mates but it was Saucy and Martins who collided at Turn 1 fighting for P8, both had to return to the pitlane but both were forced to retire.

    Moments after this, Bearman made his overtake on O’Sullivan stick through Turn 4. Bearman’s team mate Leclerc still continued his charge as he progressed into 7th.

    Lap 10 saw Hadjar move up into third as he went past Smolyar. O’ Sullivan’s pace started to drop he fell into a pack of drivers, which ended with Maloney and Hadjar moving past the Williams Academy driver.

    Ollie Bearman crossed the line in P1 but due to a 5 second time penalty it meant that he was demoted to P2, and Isack Hadjar took the first win of the year!

    PositonDriverTeamPoints
    1Isack HadjarHiTech Grand Prix10
    2Ollie BearmanPREMA Racing9
    3Alexander SmolyarMP Motorsport8
    4Zane MaloneyTrident8
    5Arthur LeclercPREMA Racing6
    Top 5 finishers.

    Day 3-

    Even though he qualifying result was a shock, it was set to be a harder task for Colapinto to hold onto the victory. In the opening stages of the race, the Argentine looked very comfortable in the lead, however its never smooth sailing in F3 as he had to deal with a safety car restart, which was required after Pizzi and Maloney coming to a stop on the circuit on the opening lap due to a bit of contact.

    Caio Collet was a victim of the first lap drama, as he broke his front suspension while driving over a kerb at Turn 7, as he tried to avoid potential contact with rivals. At the Safety Car restart, Martins overtook Stanek for P2 but the Trident driver would be soon eliminated as he made contact with Alex Smolyar.

    Juan Manuel Correa appeared to have rapid pace as he moved into the top three after overtaking Smolyar, with the latter also soon found himself to be behind Leclerc who was on the mission.

    It was Victor Martins who took the win, with Leclerc making up 11 positions to finish 2nd!

    PositionDriverTeamPoints
    1Victor MartinsART Grand Prix25
    2Arthur LeclercPREMA Racing18
    3Gregiore SaucyART Grand Prix15
    4Juan Manuel CorreaART Grand Prix12
    5Franco ColapintoVan Amersfoort Racing10
    Top 5 finishers.

    F3 will be back in just over a month, 22nd to 24th of April for the second round in Imola, Italy!

  • Isack Hadjar F3’s newest RB junior

    Isack Hadjar will become Formula 3’s newest Red Bull junior in 2022, in which he is making the step up with Hitech Grand Prix.

    He will be making his debut with the team in the Formula Regional Asian Championship before linking up with the team for a full campaign of F3.

    He joined the team for post-season testing in Valencia where he impressed the British team with a top 10 finish on the 3rd morning.

    In 2021, the 17 year old took sixth place in the Asian F3 Championship with five podiums before he competed in the inaugural Formula Regional European campaign, where he finished fifth with five podiums which included two wins.

    Hadjar, also arrives to Formula 3 with two years experience in French Formula 4, where he challenged for the title in 2020, in which he ended 3rd with three wins and eight podiums!

    “I am really happy to race with Hitech for a full campaign in FIA F3 and Formula Regional Asia,” said Hadjar. “I’m excited to see what we are able to achieve together and be working with a new team as I make my step up. There will be a lot to take in and plenty to learn, but I am ready for the challenge! Thanks to Red Bull for their support.”