Isack Hadjar has been praised as \u201cincredible\u201d by Racing Bulls\u2019 boss Peter Bayer, as he ruled out any chance of a 2025 Red Bull swap.<\/p>\n
The French-Algerian driver has had a stellar rookie season so far, bouncing back from a first-round heartbreak due to an unforced error to score 22 points and occupying 13th in the Drivers\u2019 Championship at the summer break.<\/p>\n
Peter Bayer: Isack Hadjar is \u2018incredible\u2019<\/p>\n
Hadjar is the second-highest placed rookie in the standings as Formula 1 goes into a two-week breather, only bested by Kimi Antonelli but with the Italian competing in a top-four machine for Mercedes.<\/p>\n
The young Frenchman, who hails from Paris, has staked a claim to be regarded as F1\u2019s best rookie this year, with even the notoriously difficult-to-impress Helmut Marko pleading this case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, definitely Isack Hadjar. He, for me, is the most impressive rookie,\u201d Marko said during an appearance on The Inside Track podcast earlier this summer.<\/p>\n
With such impressive performances, it\u2019s understandable that Hadjar\u2019s name would quickly become linked with a potential promotion to the Red Bull Racing squad, leading CEO Peter Bayer to joke to German publication Bild that,\u00a0\u201cHe should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026. Until then, we\u2019ll just have to handcuff him!\u201d<\/p>\n
Speculation that Hadjar could be in line to replace Yuki Tsunoda for 2026 hasn\u2019t died down, however, as the Japanese driver, while showing improvement, is yet to find form in the RB21 alongside Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n
It has led to some paddock whispers that Tsunoda could even be replaced before the season end, in favour of Hadjar, in order to give Red Bull the chance to make a full evaluation of its options for the F1 2026 season, as Arvid Lindblad has climbed the ranks to knock on the door of an F1 promotion.<\/p>\n
But Bayer has poured cold water on the idea of Hadjar stepping up from Racing Bulls<\/a> before the end of this year, saying that there is a desire to maintain a sense of calm internally at the Red Bull teams off the back of the driver turbulence at the start of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cI was joking, honestly!\u201d he laughed when asked by PlanetF1.com about his wanting to keep Hadjar \u201cin handcuffs\u201d at Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have strong alignment internally that we need to go through this year calmly, with everyone focusing on their jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that, post-summer break, discussions will start about 2026, but honestly, I dare to say that in \u201925, we all want to keep it calm and, talking about Isack, give him the chance to grow, to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, he is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n Recounting a story from qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix, the weekend in which our interview took place, Bayer said, \u201cI\u2019m still struggling to believe it, but it\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cI was listening to the radio when he was coming in, the umbilical in.<\/p>\n \u201cHis race engineer [Pierre Hamelin] said: \u2018Look, Isack, you\u2019re losing about half a tenth in Turn 6\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIsack said to him: \u2018Can you be more precise?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cPierre said, \u2018Yes, I can. You\u2019re losing 0.035 of a second in that turn.\u2019 And Isaac said: \u2018OK, then I know what to do.\u2019 [And he did it].<\/p>\n Hadjar started his year under a cloud, having crashed all by himself on the formation lap in Australia, but quickly shrugged it off to become a regular points scorer. Team insiders have commented to me on how the young Frenchman has clearly grown in confidence and a sense of belonging in F1 since the start of the year, and Bayer said a bright future awaits Hadjar.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s as simple as that \u2013 his capacity of driving,\u201d he said, when asked about how his young charge has progressed through the season.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I think we\u2019ll see great things from him.<\/p>\n \u201cHis mind is just working, asking, growing. Isaac is a great kid. He\u2019s great, but he needs this year with us, and everybody agrees that\u2019s what we should do.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Red Bull in F1<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0B teams explained: The strict FIA regulations Red Bull must abide by with rebrand plan<\/a><\/p>\n