Isack Hadjar overlooked as FIA Rookie of the Year named

Oliver Harden 14 Dec 2025 10:00 AM

Isack Hadjar scowls on the grid at Suzuka

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar prepares for the start of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka

New Red Bull signing Isack Hadjar was overlooked as F3 champion Rafael Camara was named the Rookie of the Year for 2025 at the FIA prize-giving gala on Friday.

After finishing as the runner-up to Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in the 2024 F2 championship, Hadjar enjoyed an impressive debut season with Racing Bulls in F1 2025.

Isack Hadjar misses out on FIA Rookie of the Year award

The French-Algerian collected his maiden podium by finishing third at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in August.

Hadjar banked 51 of Racing Bulls’ 92 points as the Faenza-based outfit pipped Aston Martin to sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

Red Bull announced ahead of last weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Hadjar has been rewarded with a promotion to Red Bull Racing for next season, becoming Max Verstappen’s new teammate in the process.

Isack Hadjar vs Liam Lawson: Racing Bullshead-to-head scores for F1 2025

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Hadjar, who carried out his first running as an official Red Bull driver in Tuesday’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi, is to replace Yuki Tsunoda, who has been demoted to a test-and-reserve role for F1 2026.

Despite his breakthrough season, Hadjar was denied the Rookie of the Year prize as the FIA held its annual awards ceremony in Uzbekistan on Friday night.

The honour went instead to Camara, the 20-year-old Brazilian who won the F3 title in his debut season in 2025.

Camara, a member of Ferrari’s junior scheme, collected four victories to win the championship, 12 months after winning the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema.

The Recife native, who was born three days before Kimi Raikkonen won the 2005 Spanish Grand Prix for McLaren, will move up to F2 with Invicta Racing in 2026.

Camara’s success means Oscar Piastri remains the last F1 debutant to scoop the FIA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2023.

Piastri also won the honour on the back of his title-winning F2 season in 2021.

Charles Leclerc, the current Ferrari driver, is also a two-time winner of the award having followed up his title-winning F2 season in 2017 with an accomplished debut campaign with Sauber in F1 the following year

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Hadjar was not the only rookie driver to score a podium finish in F1 2025, with Mercedes debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli collecting a total of three.

Antonelli finished third at June’s Canadian Grand Prix before recording a best result of second in Brazil last month.

The Italian teenager was then promoted to third at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the McLarens of Piastri and new world champion Lando Norris were disqualified for excessive skid-block wear following a post-race investigation.

Antonelli also set pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race in just his sixth F1 appearance.

Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman also enjoyed a fine rookie season in F1 2025, recording a best finish of fourth in Mexico as the 20-year-old outscored established Haas teammate Esteban Ocon over the season.

However, Bearman also found himself in trouble with the FIA stewards on occasion and will start the F1 2026 campaign just two penalty points away from triggering a race ban.

Bortoleto also impressed in his first season with Sauber, finishing as high as sixth in Hungary.