The first free practice session of the 2023 Mexico City GP saw F2 driver Isack Hadjar taking over driving duties at AlphaTauri. After an impressive showing, as per a report by RaceFans, team principal Franz Tost believes that a future in F1 is imminent for the French driver who wanted to wave at Lewis Hamilton from his car following FP1.
As of now, Hadjar drives in F2 for the Hitech Pulse-Eight team. Even though he is only 14th in the 2023 F2 standings with only one race weekend left, the driver has impressed Franz Tost with his skills in the F1 car.
Your first FP1 session in an F1 car – a moment Isack Hadjar will never forget ❤️ pic.twitter.com/inRNx8TG1n
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 28, 2023
Following his 17th place finish in FP1, Tost said, “He did a good job, I must say. We were all impressed by him. We are really impressed. And I think that he will be soon in Formula 1.”
The path to F1 would be tough for Isack Hadjar
Getting into F1 won’t be easy for Hadjar. There are a plethora of Red Bull junior drivers waiting for an opportunity in the top tier of motorsports. These include the likes of Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa.
Franz Tost says Isack Hadjar “will be in F1 soon” after promising practice run
“His technical feedback was also quite good because if you compare it to the data, it’s a very high correlation. We are really impressed, and I think that he will be soon in Formula 1.”… pic.twitter.com/2TJEp0VeMO
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) October 28, 2023
Even apart from these drivers, Red Bull are reportedly looking outside of their pool. One of the main names at the moment is that of Lando Norris.
If Red Bull do find someone from outside their fraternity to step into the main team, it would block the path for any of the AlphaTauri drivers to be promoted, which in turns blocks the entry for any of the F2 drivers.
Hadjar happens to be a Lewis Hamilton fanboy
Despite being a Red Bull Academy driver, Hadjar has been extremely open about his admiration for Lewis Hamilton. The 19-year-old previously mentioned that Hamilton is his inspiration, the driver he looks up to.
Hadjar previously said, “I grew up watching him. Since I was three years old, I’ve always been a fan of him and rooting for him until he won seven titles.”
This could leave Red Bull chief Helmut Marko unimpressed, who would definitely play a key role in deciding if Hadjar gets to make the step up to F1.
