“I Owe Him A Lot”: Isack Hadjar Feels ‘Emotional’ After Helmut Marko Travels to Sign Him as RB Driver

After spending two seasons in F2, Isack Hadjar will get the opportunity to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport, with Red Bull putting him in the second RB seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the 2025 season.

Hadjar, who is preparing for his rookie F1 campaign currently, recently revealed how supportive Helmut Marko had been over the last few months. In fact, the Red Bull advisor traveled all the way to be present for the moment Hadjar’s dream officially came true.

“It really touches me that Helmut came all the way to Italy to personally sign my contract,” he told Canal +. “I owe him a lot. The relationship I have with him is more than just boss-employee.” 

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Hadjar joined the Red Bull Academy in 2021 and became a reserve driver last year. With Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo — both in the Red Bull ranks — underperforming, Hadjar soon became one of the favorites to get into F1. Down in F2, he was making waves, and nearly won the Championship, as he finished second just 22.5 points behind Gabriel Bortoleto.

Soon after, RB announced that Hadjar would replace Liam Lawson, who moved up the ladder to Red Bull. Going by the French-Algerian driver’s comments, Marko was one of his biggest backers. “If things aren’t going well, he won’t just criticize me. He respects me as a person and my approach to the sport.”

However, F1 is a completely different and, oftentimes, cruel environment. If a driver doesn’t perform, they get the boot and Hadjar should know this better than many.

Hadjar would have to watch his back

Marko will continue to support Hadjar, but if the 20-year-old fails to get up to speed after the first few races, he will be under pressure. The Austrian advisor, in the past, has been very impatient with several of Red Bull’s drivers who failed to make a mark, including Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries — both of whom lost their seats midway through the season.

Hadjar recognized that it would be difficult for him to be at his top game from day 1. But he seemed confident about getting the hang of things once he has a little bit of experience under his belt. “The first races will be difficult, but I have to make sure I don’t get discouraged,” Hadjar continued.

His aim, however, from the get-go, will be to defeat his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who will be driving for the Faenza-based outfit for the fifth season running in 2025.