“Sh*t, What Am I Doing Here?”: F1 Rookie Can’t Believe He’ll Race Hamilton, Alonso, and Verstappen

The thrilling battle between Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar was undoubtedly the highlight of the 2024 F2 season. The championship fight went right down to the wire as Bortoleto clinched the trophy in the final race of the season.

Hadjar, despite losing out to the Brazilian, landed a seat in F1 at Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls. The French-Algerian talent earned the seat through his talent.

However, he is dealing with imposter syndrome ahead of the start of his rookie season. One couldn’t blame the 20-year-old for going through these emotions, though, as he is set to find himself in the midst of the sport’s giants like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen.

“You’ve been in the F1 world since Formula 3 and Formula 2, so you know what to expect. When you get the news, you’re not completely in shock. But on the other hand, when you’re actually on the track and you see Hamilton, Alonso, and Verstappen next to you, you think, ‘sh*t, what am I actually doing here?’. So yeah, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” he told racer and content creator Romain Monti.

Isack Hadjar will join Yuki Tsunoda at RB in 2025 #F1 pic.twitter.com/xA380f8Q5y

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 20, 2024

Hadjar, however, is ready to take on the challenge head-on. He knows it is going to be challenging and dealing with ‘those champions’ is going to be ‘crazy’. But he knows what is expected of him and of the benchmarks he needs to meet to impress the likes of Helmut Marko.

Matching up to his seasoned teammate Yuki Tsunoda would surely be one of those. Red Bull certainly won’t expect Hadjar to get to the Japanese ace’s level right from the word go. However, getting Hadjar up to speed and ready for the senior team in the future would be the target.

“I’m under a magnifying glass”: Hadjar

With five drivers starting their first full-time season, 2025 is going to be the year of the rookies. Apart from Hadjar, the grid will see his F2 rival Bortoleto drive for Sauber, Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Oliver Bearman for Haas, and Jack Doohan for Alpine.

One could make a case for Liam Lawson to be on the list as well. The Kiwi, however, has completed 11 races over a period of two seasons, which does not appeal to many as a ‘rookie’.

Regardless, all six drivers will be under heavy scrutiny throughout the season. And that is something that Hadjar is well aware of. Unfortunately, he is finding it difficult to deal with the added focus on him.

“I also put pressure on myself, it gives me stress to realize that I’m under a magnifying glass. But I know what I’ve started and I know that I have to perform,” Hadjar confessed.