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Red Bull Racing confirms: This is Lawson's replacement
- Ludo van Denderen
Liam Lawson saw his dream come true on Thursday: The New Zealander replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB with immediate effect, making him a Formula 1 driver until at least the end of the season. With Lawson's promotion, another position became vacant: the one of reserve driver. Red Bull has since found someone for that position.
Red Bull has informed GPblog that Isack Hadjar has been designated as reserve driver. The French-Algerian driver is currently competing in Formula 2, the championship in which he still has every chance of winning. With two race weekends to go, Hadjar is 11 points behind leader Gabriel Bortoleto, who is part of McLaren's training programme.
The F2 championship is on hold for the coming period, so Hadjar has every opportunity to focus fully on his reserve role. That starts in a few weeks in the United States, followed by the Grands Prix of Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas. The concluding GP weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will also see Formula 2 in action.
Further future of Hadjar is still unknown
Hadjar's future plans are still unknown. Whether he takes the title in F2 or not, the youngster will reportedly not return to the championship. If Lawson impresses in the coming weeks, it is likely that Hadjar will remain test and reserve driver for both Red Bull teams in 2025.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton