F1 Driver Isack Hadjar Is Living Life With No Regrets

Isack Hadjar isn’t letting anyone take his eyes off the prize, and in Formula 1, that prize is podiums and Grand Prix wins.

After dreaming of being an F1 driver since he was a child, the 21-year-old French racing driver officially made his debut in the world’s top racing league earlier this year as a driver for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team. While his rookie season got off to a rough start when he crashed during the formation lap during his first race, he quickly turned the season around, going on to clinch his first podium at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

“I feel like I’ve delivered more than enough as a rookie, and I did set myself very high expectations, which I achieved, so now I’m quite happy,” Hadjar tells The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Now, he’s looking ahead to not only his last three races of the 2025 season but also what he’s hoping to achieve in the sport for years to come. The VCARB driver emphasizes that he’s here to “fight for wins, podiums, and that’s the only reason I’m in F1, to be honest.”

Below, Hadjar opens up about his progress throughout his rookie season, his proudest moments so far, his favorite TV shows, the positive impact the F1 movie had on the sport, his future goals and more.

Going back to the beginning, where did your passion for motorsport and racing first begin?

Since I can remember. Just [watching] the movie Cars, and there was always F1 in the background on TV, so I always wanted to do that really.

At what point did you realize you wanted to make a career out of it and aim for F1?

I actually don’t know. (Laughs.) I think it’s always been clear. I never had a second thought about that. It was always racing and nothing else. Since I was a kid, I wanted to be an F1 driver, so it’s quite easy.

Going from crashing during the formation lap in your first F1 race to scoring your first podium a few months later, how happy are you with your progress throughout your rookie season? 

I’ve got to be pretty happy with the season. A bit up and down, but honestly, on my side, no regrets. I feel like I’ve delivered more than enough as a rookie, and I did set myself very high expectations, which I achieved, so now I’m quite happy.

This will also be your first time racing at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. What are you looking forward to most about this race in particular?

It’s quite a weird circuit. The layout is very different to any other racetrack on the calendar and even the conditions. It’s super cold, very low grip, and it’s my first time as well, so it’s going to be challenging.

With it being a new challenge, does that excite you more?

Honestly, I feel like I’ve done the best tracks already so far this year, so it’s just one other track I’m going to discover. But to be fair, my favorite tracks were around the first half of the season. Then the second half, in my opinion, is a bit less good, but it doesn’t matter if I like the track or not, I’m going to do my job.

Can you take me inside your helmet for a moment? Once you’re in the car right before the lights go out, and the outside noise finally stops, what’s going through your mind? 

Ideally, you have nothing in your mind. You just have to be focused on the task, and just before the lights go out, you have very specific procedures. Actually, you’re busy in the car, you don’t have much time to think. You’re busy with your procedures on your steering wheel, making sure you’re going to have the best start possible and before the lights go out, I’m very empty up there. Also, it’s important not to expect anything because every scenario is unique and it’s never going exactly like you planned it. So it’s good not to think of what’s going to happen, just adapt to the situation.

Prior to joining F1, did you ever watch the hit Netflix series, Drive to Survive? 

Actually, no, because I feel like I don’t need to because I know everything about this sport, to be honest. I probably watched the first season when I was still in [karting], but since then, when you’re in the F1 environment as a teenager and you are in the junior team, you know all the gossip [and] everything that’s going on. So I never had to really watch ’cause it’s my world.

Well, this upcoming season of Drive to Survive on the 2025 racing season will also be your first time on the show. Are you looking forward to that?

Actually, I hate seeing myself on camera. I don’t like seeing myself on TV and I cannot watch an interview about myself, but I know my friends will tune in [and] my family. It’s obviously a huge platform, so I did my best to look decent, that’s for sure.

The F1 movie also came out earlier this year and really secured some new fans of the sport. How does it feel to enter F1 during such a massive year, especially as the sport continues to grow in popularity globally? 

[The movie] can only do good [things for] us. It’s bringing more attention to the sport, and I’m not going to be very specific on the advantages, but they did us a solid by doing this movie, to be honest. Just bringing so many more fans and only positives for the sports.

I know fans love seeing you in social media videos and TikToks for the official VCARB accounts. Do you enjoy doing them as much as fans love watching them?

I don’t enjoy doing it when I have to go from racing to being a TikToker and then racing. I am happy to do it when we do social media filming outside of the track, but for me, it’s hard to switch my mindset from having to be locked in for a session, but three hours before the session, you’re actually filming. So when we’re on track, even though I’m a good actor, I have to say (laughs), it’s actually hard to do both.

As you prepare to wrap up your rookie season with only a few races remaining, what’s going through your mind and what are you most proud of from this year?

I’m going to be obvious [by saying] the podium. There’s my first points in F1 in Japan, [completing] my home race in Monaco with very good results. So there’s been a couple of highlights [and] very good drives, but I think most importantly coming into the season, I was more worried about raw performance, but actually it’s something I had every session of the season so far. So I’m just proud of the progress I made throughout the year.

When you’re not working and racing, what’s your perfect day off look like?

Day off? Damn. I don’t have many days off, but when I have one, it actually sounds very simple. I feel like I’m old, but doing nothing is good. And this is what I like doing the most: sitting on my couch with my cat and watching a show on TV. Yes, sometimes I’m craving that. (Laughs).

What’s your go-to show you turn on?

I’m really into Japanese animation, to be honest. Like anime [and] Manga, this is what I like the most. Breaking Bad is probably my favorite TV show. Watched it a couple of times.

If you could go back and talk to younger Isack when you first started karting, what would you say to him, seeing where you are today? 

Well, I think that would be a very bad idea to talk to him because I wouldn’t like to change the timeline and what happened (laughs), because honestly, my way to F1 was tough. I didn’t [get my] seat the easy way, so I actually don’t have very good memories from go-kart and junior categories in general. So I would tell him to just not doubt yourself. I doubted myself many times because I had very tough weekends in my career, moments of realization where I was like, “Oh, I actually can’t make it.” But yeah, just never doubt yourself.

As you look ahead, what are your goals for the future as a driver in F1?

I want to finish the season very strong [with] three races left. I want to leave the best impression and if there’s an opportunity for big results, I want to be there and take it. And in terms of my future goals, it’s trying to be a Red Bull racing driver. That’s what I signed [up] for when I was signed by the junior program, to be joining the best team in the world, and that’s what I want to do. Fight for wins, podiums, and that’s the only reason I’m in F1, to be honest.

If you had to describe what makes Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar, what would you say? 

I’m honest. That’s it. (Laughs.) That’s my main quality.