Isack Hadjar shares the Sebastian Vettel-inspired reason why he’s ‘excited’ to race for Red Bull

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Isack Hadjar is the latest driver to make his way through the ranks at Red Bull to a full-time drive with the team, and the Frenchman has shared the Sebastian Vettel-inspired reason behind why he’s so excited about the opportunity.

Unlike those who have come before him in recent times, Isack Hadjar is hoping to challenge Max Verstappen in the teammate head-to-head at Red Bull in the coming seasons.

He’s got a tall order on his hands when considering that the Dutchman hasn’t been beaten by a teammate over the course of a season since 2018.

However, F1’s new era of regulations in 2026 will mean that everyone on the grid will start from a clean slate at the wheel of brand new machinery.

It is understood that this was the main reason for Helmut Marko wanting to promote Hadjar for the upcoming season, rather than giving him another year in the midfield.

• READ MORE: Isack Hadjar must listen to Daniel Ricciardo’s perfect advice for being Max Verstappen’s teammate

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Isack Hadjar is excited to work with the same engineers who won championships with Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel was the very first F1 driver to win a world championship for Red Bull, and went on to win four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013.

He was the youngest ever world champion in the sport at the time, a record that has since been usurped by Verstappen with his title feat in 2021.

In an interview with Canal+ ahead of Hadjar’s final race with the Faenza-based constructor before he moves to Milton Keynes, Hadjar highlighted how much of an impact that Vettel’s championship triumphs had on him as a youngster.

The Frenchman said, “I am very proud of how far I have come, not just since the beginning of the year, but throughout my entire career, and also when I signed in 2021 in Monaco.

“That was the goal. It was to be in a junior team and move up to the main team. So in four years, we’ve managed to do that. I’m excited to get started.

“It’s an honour, I also remember watching TV when I was little and seeing Vettel win all his races.

“And now, to think that I’m in the same team as he was, and I’m going to be working with the same people he won championships with, it’s pretty incredible, also to be joining the best driver on the grid.”

Vettel’s first title in 2010 shares a stark similarity to the current landscape of the championship battle in 2025.

Heading into the final race that year, four drivers were in mathematical contention to secure the championship, with Vettel facing a 15-point deficit to Fernando Alonso.

The young German managed to dramatically steal the title away from the Spaniard with a first-place finish in the Grand Prix, much to the dismay of Ferrari fans.

• READ MORE: Isack Hadjar told what he cannot ‘dare’ to do at Red Bull ahead of replacing Yuki Tsunoda in 2026

Isack Hadjar has already received some help from Sebastian Vettel’s former race engineer at Red Bull

Before making his debut with Racing Bulls, Hadjar benefited from the vast knowledge of Vettel’s former race engineer, Guillaume Rocquelin, more commonly known as ‘Rocky’.

A compatriot of Hadjar’s, the Frenchman was an integral part of Vettel’s success with Red Bull in the early 2010s.

He served as Vettel’s right-hand man throughout all four of his title triumphs, and upon the German driver’s exit from the team ahead of the 2015 season, Rocky was promoted to the position of Red Bull’s head of engineering.

After taking a step back from trackside duties in 2022, Rocquelin’s role now is to help develop the talent that comes through Red Bull’s junior programme.

His current assignment consists of working with Arvid Lindblad ahead of the 18-year-old’s rookie season in Formula 1 next year.