Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar is the winner of Autosport’s 2025 Rookie of the Year Award.
The 21-year-old Frenchman, who is graduating to the Red Bull team in 2026 alongside Max Verstappen, finished 12th in the drivers’ standings with Racing Bulls.
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Autosport readers voted Hadjar the best rookie of 2025 from an expanded list of nominees that included fellow F1 drivers Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Olle Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto, MotoGP’s Fermin Aldeguer, Formula E frontrunner Taylor Barnard, F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, NASCAR Cup road-course king Shane van Gisbergen and NASCAR Xfinity rising star Connor Zilisch.
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Hadjar’s success was announced on 21 January at the 38th Autosport Awards at the Roundhouse in London in front of many other motorsport stars.
“I actually had no idea, Laurent [Mekies] invited me and he is not even here! I wasn’t sure about coming tonight and here I am,” Hadjar said. “Thank you to my PR Alice, I was on the sim yesterday and realised then I ahd to come. Thank you to VCARB for an amazing year, my maiden podium which I didn’t think was possible. Now for a big year with the main team and I cannot believe it.”
Previous winners of the accolade, which is open to professional racing drivers in their first season in their respective categories, include Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Verstappen, Charles Leclerc three-time victor Oscar Piastri.
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Other categories decided by fan voting include Driver of the Year, Moment of the Year presented by Bahrain International Circuit, Competition Car of the Year, Rally Driver of the Year and British Competition Driver of the Year. Two new awards for 2025 are Team of the Year and Creator of the Year.
Further awards, decided by expert judging panels, include the Pioneering and Innovation Award, Promoter of the Year and Brand Partnership of the Year.
To find out who our other Award winners are, go to autosport.com/awards
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