20/09/2025 10:00
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has insisted that no
decision will be made in the short-term over whether Isack Hadjar
is promoted. Rumours of a 2026 promotion to Red Bull have
intensified ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand prix, with
Hadjar heavily tipped to replace Yuki Tsunoda. The French-Algerian
has impressed since joining Racing Bulls from Formula 2, and
quickly recovered from his embarrassing formation lap crash in the
Australian GP. Since that moment which saw him consoled by Lewis
Hamilton's father and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, Hadjar has become
a consistent points scorer and top 10 qualifier. He currently has
the second-most points out of the Red Bull family drivers; however,
it has been stressed that no decision over his future will be made
until later in the year. Despite Red Bull motorsport advisor
Helmut Marko revealing Hadjar has a Red Bull family contract for
next season , the Austrian has insisted a decision will not be made
until at least late October. Permane has echoed Marko's comments,
outlining that no decision over a possible promotion will be made
at the moment, but that Racing Bulls must continue to deliver
Hadjar a strong car. Asked in Baku if Hadjar is ready to race for
Red Bull, Permane said: "I think that's a tricky one at this time
of year. And, fortunately, we don't have to make that decision at
this time of year. "I'm very sure — and I think it's been said —
that it will be later in the season, much later in the season. I
think what we have to do for Isack is to make sure that we — the
trackside team — deliver perfection for him. "So he's got a car he
can perform well in, and he needs to perform well. He needs to
deliver perfection as well. "And I think we've seen, when he does
that and when the car is right and suits the circuit, and he puts
it all together, we can have a super strong weekend."
