Isack Hadjar will race alongside Yuki Tsunoda at RB in 2025

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (or RB, because we can’t be bothered to type that out every time) has announced 20-year-old Isack Hadjar will join the team to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the 2025 F1 season.

The seat at RB was made available after Sergio Perez was sacked by Red Bull and Liam Lawson made the step up to the senior team. Hadjar, who holds French and Algerian dual nationality, will become the 18th driver to race in F1 having come through the Red Bull Junior Programme since its inception in 2006. He joined the programme in 2022 and made his F1 Free Practice debut for AlphaTauri at the Mexico GP in 2023.

Last season Hadjar finished second in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, securing four race wins and eight podiums for Campos Racing. Prior to that, in 2023 he finished 14th in his debut season in F2, and was fourth overall in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship.

“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,” said Hadjar. “The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I've been 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.”

Team principal Laurent Mekies said: “We're excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025. As a product of the Red Bull Junior Program, his journey to Formula One 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 partnership. 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.”

How will RB (or whatever it’s called next year) fare in 2025?