Isack Hadjar: My Greatest Influences

Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Isack Hadjar is continuing to make a name for himself in his debut Formula 2 season, so we thought it was high time to find out who helped shape him into the person he is today.

Whilst one modern day Formula 1 legend immediately stands out for him, it’s the two figures closest to home that have had the biggest impact on the Red Bull junior’s story so far.

LEWIS HAMILTON

“I grew up watching him. Since I was three years old, I’ve always been a fan of him and rooting for him until he won seven titles. I was really happy to actually be supporting the guy who was winning everything and I think he’s the most complete driver out there. Since I started single-seater racing, I got interested in Formula 1 even more and it was clear to me that Lewis was the guy to beat and the reference for me, so I’ve always looked up to him as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). I really love the guy and he just inspires me so much in everything I do.

“When I got into single-seaters, I actually started to understand how good he was because you’re in go-karts and you watch F1, you don’t really know what it is like to drive a racing car. When I started looking at him properly and seriously, I was like this guy is way too good.

“There are a few races of his that stand out. One I think was when he was fighting Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and the pole lap he did in Singapore was quite special. Brazil 2021 - his race weekend was just outstanding, even though I was rooting a bit for Red Bull. He was just on another level that weekend, I would say it was his best weekend ever.”

HIS PARENTS

“It’s a crazy project that we’ve had since I started go-karting and we always dreamed about Formula 1. We believed a little bit that it was achievable, but now that we are in F2, it just feels crazy. They have always been there to support me and to fight for me to race in championships with good teams, so I can’t thank them enough.

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“My mum was nervous when I started racing and she was shaking a bit, whilst my dad was my mechanic during my first few years of go-karting, so he was really into it. I learnt how to drive by myself, finding out how to brake and be quick as my dad wasn’t my driver coach. I never had a coach until I had an engineer in single-seaters, so I always learnt by myself, which I think is the best process.

“Growing up, my dad was just watching F1, but never got to drive anything. I got into cars first because of the movie Cars and I always wanted to drive something like that and when I saw my dad watching F1, I was like ‘what on earth is that? It looks so good!’ Then at the age of five, I tried karting and that was it. I was like I was made for this and I want to continue driving.

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“It’s been tough and I can’t even imagine how tough it was for them because I was just focused on the driving side. They went through a lot of financial difficulties to get me to motorsport and they fought hard to get sponsors and get me a drive, until I got picked by Red Bull, so that was a bit of a relief. Until then, it was really a tough journey for them.”