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Is Red Bull Junior Isack Hadjar ready to step up to Formula 1?
France has had many successful Formula 1 drivers, including four-time world champion Alain Prost.
The nation also has two drivers on the grid in 2024, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, trying to rescue a poor start to the season for French team Alpine.
A reshuffle of the pack in the Red Bull family could open the door for Frenchman Isack Hadjar to join the field in 2025.
But is the 19-year-old ready to step up from junior racing into Formula 1? Despite his championship-leading form in FIA Formula 2 this season, he is yet to take a title in his single-seater racing career.
Hadjar came close in 2022, finishing fourth in FIA F3, but he ultimately lost the title to his compatriot Victor Martins in a tense finale at Monza.
The leading Red Bull team and sister outfit RB could change their lineups if Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo continue to flounder in the wake of their teammates.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised the young prospect after his superb start to the Formula 2 season.
"He’s doing a good job," Horner said of Hadjar at Silverstone, via PlanetF1.com.
"So, again, he’s making a strong case for himself next year, which is why we’re not in any rush to finalise seats in the sister team."
Hadjar is also gathering experience in F1 machinery, having driven the Red Bull in the first practice at Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix. This was a critical learning experience, as testing is so limited in modern F1.
He leads the FIA F2 championship by 16 points over his nearest rival, Paul Aron, but other drivers in the Red Bull program will challenge him.
Liam Lawson performed admirably when called up to replace Ricciardo at AlphaTauri last season, although he could be fast-tracked into the Red Bull team to replace a lackluster Perez.
Hadjar's FIA F2 performance may not be critical to getting a seat at the highest level, as Ollie Bearman, who sits 13th in the standings, will debut with Haas in 2025.
At the start of the season, the French teenager's move to F1 seemed unlikely, but his raw speed and tenacity have put him on the radar of Formula 1 teams.
The excellent form of fellow Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad in FIA F3 may put extra pressure on Hadjar to secure an F1 drive sooner rather than later as the Austrian team's production line of young drivers continues to rumble along.
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