Hadjar to Debut with Red Bull in Post-Season Test After Promotion

Isack Hadjar will drive for Red Bull in Tuesday's Abu Dhabi post-season tire test, his first official appearance with the senior team since being confirmed as Yuki Tsunoda's replacement for 2025. The 21-year-old Frenchman, who scored a podium alongside Max Verstappen at Zandvoort this season, will pilot a modified RB20 designed to simulate 2026 tire loads during Pirelli's critical development session.

Why it matters:

This test represents more than routine young driver evaluation—it's Hadjar's accelerated integration into Red Bull's race operation ahead of next season. With Tsunoda's underperformance creating urgency for a driver change, the team is prioritizing seamless transition timing. The session also provides vital engineering data as Red Bull bridges current performance with 2026's radical regulation shift.

The Details:

• Hadjar will drive a specially adapted 'mule' version of Red Bull's 2024 chassis, modified to replicate the weight distribution and mechanical stresses expected from next year's cars during Pirelli's tire development program.
• The test occurs just days after team principal Christian Horner formally announced Hadjar's promotion, making this immediate track time strategically significant for team cohesion.
• Technical Integration: Engineers will focus on gathering feedback about tire behavior under simulated 2026 conditions, with Hadjar's input helping shape both tire construction and Red Bull's future car design.
• Development Context: This isn't Hadjar's first Red Bull seat time—he participated in three FP1 sessions over 2023-2024—but marks his debut as an official race driver rather than a junior program participant.
• Ayumu Iwasa, Hadjar's fellow Red Bull junior and current F2 driver, will handle the second car in the young driver evaluation segment.

What's next:

Hadjar's test debut sets the stage for intensive 2025 preparation, with pre-season testing now just months away. The Zandvoort podium already demonstrated his racecraft under pressure, but consistent performance against Verstappen will define his rookie season. Red Bull's decision to fast-track his integration suggests confidence in his ability to contribute immediately—critical as the team aims to dethrone McLaren and Ferrari in 2025. While tire data from Tuesday's session remains proprietary, Pirelli's findings will influence all teams' 2026 development paths, making Hadjar's feedback unexpectedly consequential beyond his personal progression.