Christian Horner has acknowledged that Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar could be on the cusp of an F1 promotion next year, praising him as an “outstanding” talent.
The 19-year-old French-Algerian joined Red Bull’s development program two-and-a-half years ago. His impressive career includes a third-place finish in the 2020 French F4 Championship, third in the Formula Regional Asian Championship, and fourth in FIA Formula 3 in 2022. Last year, he graduated to FIA Formula 2, where he currently leads the feeder series, having won three races and secured two more podiums, including a recent Feature Race victory at Silverstone.
Fellow Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad, 16, is also having a strong season in F3, rising to second in the standings with back-to-back wins in Britain.
When asked about the junior talent pool and Hadjar’s prospects for a seat within the Red Bull F1 family in 2025, Horner said: “He’s doing a good job. He had a good weekend [at Silverstone]. It’s good to see both Isack [in F2] and Arvid Lindblad win the Formula 3 race. Two outstanding talents that are coming through. So, again, he’s making a strong case for himself next year, which is why we’re not in any rush to finalize seats in the sister team.”
Pressed on whether there’s a chance of Hadjar appearing on the grid next year, Horner added, “There’s always a chance.”
Hadjar’s impressive Silverstone performance followed FP1 outings with AlphaTauri in Mexico and with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi last season. Reflecting on his third outing, Hadjar said: “It was unbelievable. It honestly felt like the first time in the car again and the braking and the high speed in the RB20 are just on another level. My last FP1 was in Abu Dhabi and it was quite limited mileage, so it was unbelievable to drive around this iconic and fast track here at Silverstone. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this car, but it is always great to be back with the team and to know the procedures.”
Red Bull announced that Yuki Tsunoda will remain one of their drivers for the 2025 campaign, but they have yet to decide on Daniel Ricciardo’s future. Meanwhile, Horner described Sergio Perez’s recent form as “unsustainable” after another challenging weekend at Silverstone, leading to mounting speculation over his future, despite signing a new deal earlier this year to remain alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
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