“Petit Prost”: Isack Hadjar’s Rise to F1 Stardom

They call him “Petit Prost.” Until Zandvoort, Isack Hadjar had flown quietly under the radar after a bruising debut weekend. But with a calm, composed drive to third place – on a day when Dutch fans were expecting magic from another Red Bull driver – the Racing Bulls rookie announced himself to the world. From karting prodigy to Red Bull’s latest weapon, here’s how the Frenchman became F1’s newest rising star.

The Journey to Formula 1

Born in Paris in 2004 to French-Algerian parents, Isack Hadjar was encouraged into motorsport by his father and began karting in 2012. His natural talent was evident early, winning on debut, and he quickly rose through the French karting ranks, competing nationally and regionally to hone his craft. By 2018 he reached the prestigious CIK-FIA European OK-Junior Championship, holding his own despite his comparative youth and inexperience.

Hadjar’s performances earned him a breakthrough into single-seaters with French Formula 4 in 2019. In his rookie season he finished sixth in the standings, taking a pole position along the way. A year later, he built on that foundation with three victories, two poles, and 11 podiums to claim third overall. At just 16, Hadjar was already attracting attention from the upper echelons of motorsport.

After a brief stint in F3 Asia – where he finished sixth overall – he stepped up to FIA Formula 3 in 2022. A maiden pole at Spielberg and a commanding feature race win in changeable conditions marked him out as one of the grid’s brightest prospects, helping him to fourth in the championship. That same year, Red Bull signed him to their famous junior driver programme, the same academy that produced world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, providing a clear pathway to F1.

Despite his rapid rise, Hadjar’s rookie season in FIA Formula 2 proved a far sterner test. Struggling with tyre management, inconsistency, and reliability issues at Hitech, he ended the year 14th in the standings. He described it as a “nightmare” campaign, and doubts surfaced about whether he could adapt to the demands of the next step. Yet flashes of brilliance, such as a bold call to run slicks on a drying track in Austria, hinted at his underlying ability.

Hadjar responded in emphatic fashion the following year after switching to Campos Racing. Fighting for the championship until the final rounds, he finished runner-up with four wins and eight podiums. Crucially, victories in feature races showcased maturity and racecraft against the best of his peers. The turnaround convinced Red Bull he was ready for the big stage, awarding him a seat at Racing Bulls for 2025. His F1 dream was realised – and history made – as he became the first Arab-heritage driver to race in Formula 1.

Hadjar’s rapid climb through the junior categories has underlined not only raw speed but also resilience. It earned him the nickname “Petit Prost,” a nod to both his French roots and his composed, analytical style on track.

The Big Time

Hadjar’s promotion to Racing Bulls followed Liam Lawson’s move into the senior team and saw him partnered with another young prospect in Yuki Tsunoda. However, his debut weekend was one to forget. After qualifying a respectable 11th, he spun on the formation lap and hit the barriers – a nightmare start for any rookie. For many, that would have been a confidence-shattering mistake, and a difficult moment for a rookie to recover from.

But testament to Hadjar’s ability to rebound, he qualified an impressive seventh in China a week later, only denied points by a strategic misstep. Solid, if unspectacular, drives followed, but the signs were there. His first points arrived with an 8th-place finish in Japan in just his third weekend, while a steady stream of results continued across the first half of 2025 – highlighted by a standout 5th place in Monaco, a circuit famed for eliciting a driver’s true talent.

The steady flow of points underlined that Hadjar deserved a seat at the top level, but the young Frenchman was just getting started.

Post-Summer Podium

Rookie campaigns inevitably bring the odd messy race, but Zandvoort after the summer break was the breakthrough. Hadjar stunned the paddock by qualifying fourth, ahead of both Ferraris and Mercedes. On Sunday, many expected him to slide back down the order, but he absorbed relentless pressure from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and refused to yield. To defend so calmly, in a slower car and with only a handful of F1 races behind him, was remarkable. As the race progressed, he even started hassling Verstappen’s Red Bull.

That is a phenomenal performance from Hadjar. Fended off pressure from behind, and was even putting pressure on Verstappen at some points. He’s definitely one to watch for the future #F1

— BackmarkerSPORTS (@backmarkersports.com) 2025-08-31T14:44:42.466Z

The late retirement of Lando Norris promoted Hadjar to a richly deserved podium. The sense of achievement and inexperience was on full display as he attempted to follow the podium procedure, eventually noticing his team and celebrating wildly. The result has catapulted the young Frenchman into F1’s spotlight, all but confirming that Hadjar is perhaps the hottest prospect in the sport.

Where Does He Go From Here?

Hadjar’s Zandvoort heroics inevitably sparked talk of a swift promotion to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. On talent alone, it’s a compelling idea – the Frenchman has the speed, temperament, and resilience to be the answer to Red Bull’s long-running second-seat dilemma.

But Red Bull’s recent history offers caution. His debut F2 season at Hitech showed the dangers of moving up too quickly: mistakes, reliability woes, and the weight of expectation turned it into a self-described “nightmare” year. The senior Red Bull seat is notoriously unforgiving, and a rushed promotion risks stalling his development – just as it did for the likes of Gasly, Albon, Lawson, and even Tsunoda.

That said, Hadjar has already shown a rare ability to adapt and bounce back stronger, qualities that suggest he might succeed where others stumbled. The question is whether Red Bull’s management will prioritise his long-term development over their short-term needs.

With Tsunoda under pressure, Red Bull may yet be forced into a decision sooner than ideal. But with Horner gone, much will depend on whether Laurent Mekies’ new philosophy at Racing Bulls influences how the system treats its brightest talents.

One thing, however, is already clear: Isack Hadjar isn’t just another junior prospect. He is a future star of Formula 1.