Red Bull have one of the best driver academies and they got a chance to flex it ahead of the 2025 season by drafting not one but two drivers for their maiden full season in F1. The first being Liam Lawson, who has driven a few races with Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls (RB) but never a full season.
The man who will replace the New Zealander at RB is the 2024 F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar. Despite having come through the ranks of the Red Bull academy, Hadjar named Lewis Hamilton as his ‘GOAT’ back in 2022. “I think the answer is quite easy – Lewis Hamilton,” Hadjar replied when asked who is the greatest driver of all time.
The French-Algerian driver added, “Lewis Hamilton’s career is just another level. The numbers are just insane. He’s the GOAT for me. He’s my favorite driver, he inspired me so much”.
#F1 | RB’s new driver, Isack Hadjar, names Lewis Hamilton as his favourite driver:
“Lewis Hamilton’s career is just another level. The numbers are just insane. He’s the GOAT for me. He’s my favourite driver. He inspired me so much.”
“I think he’s the most complete driver out… pic.twitter.com/vGO8YyJAGe
— deni (@fiagirly) December 20, 2024
This remark is unlikely to have gone down too well among the Red Bull top brass and the team’s star driver Max Verstappen, who had quite a few contentious battles with the Briton en route to his maiden championship triumph in 2021. However, it is not just the 20-year-old Hadjar who considers Hamilton his idol but several drivers of his generation.
After all, most of the drivers born in the early 2000s would have witnessed Hamilton achieve success after success during their childhood. Hadjar is one of the youngest drivers on the 2025 grid and is one of six who were born after Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut in 2000.
F1 teams showcase faith in youth
2024 was the first season in F1 history when interestingly all the 10 teams decided to retain their driver line-ups. However, just a year later, there have been all kinds of moves in the driver market.
F1 teams are ready to showcase more faith in youth as a total of six rookies will compete next year. Other than Hadjar and Lawson, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman will compete in their first full F1 season in 2025.
This will give fans a lot to watch out for other than just the battles for the championships. Who knows, maybe one of these young drivers could be a world champion in the making.
