Isack Hadjar got behind the wheel of a Ford Raptor T1+ to take on an adrenaline-fuelled Rally Raid challenge.
Hadjar had six laps in total to hit a target lap time, but remarkably needed only three to surpass it. Recovering from an incident along the way, Hadjar fell just two seconds short of his professional driver benchmark, as he prepares to make his Red Bull debut in F1 2026.
Isack Hadjar impresses in Red Bull-Ford challenge
Following an impressive rookie season with Red Bull’s junior F1 team, Racing Bulls, in 2025, Hadjar got the call to join the senior team for F1 2026, where he partners four-time World Champion Max Verstappen.
But, before that, he was set a challenge, as part of a Red Bull Motorsports video.
For Hadjar, the challenge sounded simple, but executing it absolutely would not.
Over to Hadjar to explain his task.
“The challenge is to see if I can get within 15 seconds of a time set by a pro Rally Raid driver.”
The pro Rally Raid driver in question was Mitch Guthrie Jr. The American has rallying legend Carlos Sainz Sr. for a teammate in Ford’s 2026 Dakar Rally push.
Ford – which made its return to Formula 1 by partnering with Red Bull’s engine project – is making its Dakar debut in 2026.
But first, Guthrie Jr. had business to attend to on a 4 km desert circuit, setting a lap time for Hadjar to work with, as Hadjar sat in the passenger seat for an up close look.
“Holy sh*t,” Hadjar exclaimed, telling Guthrie Jr. “your car control is insane!”
Three minutes and 16 seconds was the time. Hadjar had just five practice laps and an official lap to get within 15 seconds of that time to win this challenge.
“Oh mate, it’s insane,” Hadjar reflected on his lap with Guthrie Jr.
“It’s f***ed up!”
It was now time for Hadjar to take the wheel of the Ford Raptor T1+, with Guthrie Jr. in tow. This was the first time off-roading for Hadjar.
Lap one was a 4:20 for Hadjar, as he got his first feel for the machine and track, taking on board the advice from Guthrie Jr. in the navigator’s seat.
There was a slide off course for Hadjar on lap two as he began to test the limits.
“I braked a bit late.”
He got the Ford back up and running, remarkably shaving two seconds off his best time even with that crash.
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“Honestly, I rarely have this much fun in a car.”
Hadjar was told “that was a good one” by Guthrie Jr. at the end of his third lap. It certainly was. With a 3:31 set, he had completed the challenge already. Not that he was told he had.
Next time around, a 3:23. For his fifth and final practice lap, a 3:19.
Guthrie Jr. told Hadjar that he may have gone faster than him with that last lap. He was not far off at all, just three seconds.
As he went for a well-earned sit down and debrief after the practice runs, Hadjar was informed that he had completed the challenge on just his third run, and was at a 3:19 by the end of his practice.
Hadjar had one final lap to see how close he could get to that 3:16.
His official timed lap, a mightily impressive 3:18.
He was not completely happy with that attempt, though.
“I have a few regrets to be honest,” Hadjar stated. “Some bits were very good, some… I f***ed up.”
But, the experience was one which Hadjar will remember very fondly.
“Honestly mate, I could do that all day long.”
However, the focus for Hadjar soon turns to F1 2026. He will get his first experience of the new Red Bull car in F1’s closed-doors Barcelona test, taking place between 26-30 January.
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