Isack Hadjar’s standout F1 debut earns plaudits from rivals, as the Racing Bulls driver emerges as 2025’s top Formula 1 rookie.
Isack Hadjar has impressed the world of Formula 1, not only his bosses, the media or the fans.
His fellow yet rival F1 drivers were full of praise for him in Montréal, at the Canadian Grand Prix.
When asked who their “rookie of the year” was so far, the Frenchman’s name quickly prevailed.
“I find Hadjar quite impressive. He was very strong in qualifying. I back him, because he was on top and performed well,” says Kimi Antonelli, himself a rookie who has made a good start at Mercedes F1.
“Honestly, I agree with Kimi,” adds Liam Lawson, Hadjar’s team-mate at Racing Bulls.
“I’m the one racing against him and I saw everything. He’s done very, very good work this year, especially in qualifying. He’s been very, very strong over the last two race triples.”
More experienced, Nico Hülkenberg also ranks Hadjar above the others.
“Yes, I agree. Isack has had a very good season so far. The car is performing too, which always helps.”
“But to be honest, if I look at all of them, they’re all doing a good job, wherever they are on the grid.”
“When I think back to my own tough first year in F1, when I look at them, I find them all rather good.”
This remark prompted journalists to ask: with hindsight and compared to today, what would be easier for a rookie in F1 in 2025, and what would be more difficult for a new driver?
“Good question. On the car, on the technical side, back then it was much more open. We had many more set-up options, even gearbox ratios, weight distribution. There were more things to explore, to understand and to master. There was perhaps another level of complexity back then.”
“Today, F1 has evolved a lot. It’s a much larger stage. There’s more attention, more checks. So I think in that respect it’s more difficult today, given how the sport has evolved. It was a bit smaller and more laid-back back then, not as international, let’s say.”
Are today’s cars harder to drive than in 2010? Are they more nervous?
“I’m not sure, to be honest. Sometimes I think yes, other times absolutely not. These cars are very fast. There’s a lot of downforce. Sometimes you feel very safe. If you watch a lot of races, there aren’t many incidents today, not many yellow flags. Or if there is an incident, it’s usually serious, because these cars break in two and it usually ends badly. In 2010 it was different in a way. It’s hard to explain.”
