END OF YEAR REPORT: Racing Bulls’ best and worst moments from 2025 and driver head-to-heads

Racing Bulls took driver and management changes in their stride this year, bettering their long-established position in the midfield to claim sixth in the Teams’ Championship. When their two young drivers found their rhythm, they delivered some exceptional performances, but their inexperience showed at times with errors this season. Here is the squad’s end of year report…

Best finish

Isack Hadjar – 3rd in the Netherlands

Fresh off the back of a tense battle for the Formula 2 title with Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Hadjar's season began in the worst possible way when he crashed out on the formation lap at the season opener in Australia. But there were already flashes of his potential, particularly in Qualifying.

He gradually progressed up the order with some strong results before enduring a run of five rounds with just one point, and bouncing back at the Dutch Grand Prix in spectacular fashion. There, he qualified an impressive P4 and benefitted from Lando Norris’ unfortunate retirement to gain a spot and claim his maiden podium and an important 15 points.

His confident performance that day demonstrated that he didn’t just have raw speed, but could also manage a race well and resist pressure, which influenced Red Bull’s decision to promote him to partner Max Verstappen next season.

Qualifying head-to-head

Hadjar 1-1 Tsunoda
Hadjar 16-6 Liam Lawson

For the first two rounds of the season, Yuki Tsunoda raced alongside Hadjar at Racing Bulls, but the call came for him to swap with Lawson and move to Red Bull. While they were relatively close across the season, Hadjar undoubtedly had the edge over his second team mate, outperforming him in Qualifying on 16 occasions.

His best start was the fourth place that kickstarted his drive to the podium at Zandvoort, and he followed that up with another top-five start at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. On one of the six weekends when Lawson outqualified the Frenchman, he did it in style, taking advantage of a chaotic session in Azerbaijan to secure P3 on the grid behind Verstappen and Williams’ Carlos Sainz.

Race head-to-head

Hadjar 1-1 Tsunoda
Hadjar 13-8 Lawson*

Their race head-to-head paints a similar picture with Hadjar edging out the Kiwi at 13 events to eight, which is also reflected in their points total – the rookie ended the season on 51, narrowly missing out on a spot in the top 10, with Lawson accumulating 38.

Lawson did break into the top 10 in Monaco, where Racing Bulls achieved a double points finish, but his best result of the year came at Baku where he took the chequered flag in fifth place.

*No score is awarded for the British Grand Prix as both drivers retired

Best moment

Standing on the podium in your rookie season is a remarkable feat no matter what, but the fact that Hadjar’s P3 at Zandvoort was the team’s first since Pierre Gasly in 2021, when they competed under the moniker of AlphaTauri, made it all the more momentous.

He was one of nine drivers to make it to the rostrum in the Grand Prix format, joining fellow midfield drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz, both of whom achieved their first podiums with Kick Sauber and Williams respectively.

“It feels a bit unreal,” said Hadjar at the time. “What was most surprising for me was keeping that fourth place for the whole race.

“Unfortunately for Lando, we took advantage of his [retirement], but we made no mistakes. The car was on rails the whole weekend, and I'm really happy about myself because I really maximised what I had, made no mistakes and brought home the podium, so I'm so happy for my guys.”

Worst moment

Racing Bulls suffered what can only be described as a nightmare weekend at Silverstone, with both drivers embroiled in incidents that forced them to retire, marking one of nine weekends where the team failed to score any points.

Wet weather races are renowned for the opportunities they present to squads further down the grid as the conditions can cancel out many competitive advantages – Hulkenberg proved this as he claimed his maiden podium at the same event, ending a 238-race streak without finishing in the top three.

Lawson wasn’t quite as lucky, crashing out on the opening lap after a collision with Haas driver Esteban Ocon. Conversely, Hadjar made it through the first stint, part of which was conducted behind the Safety Car, before he ploughed into the rear of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes as racing resumed.

The double retirement saw them drop behind Kick Sauber in the Standings and draw level on points with Aston Martin. Although they overtook both teams by the end of the season, Silverstone was without a doubt a missed opportunity for Hadjar and Lawson.

Goals for 2026

There will be even more change at Racing Bulls in 2026, with Hadjar moving to Red Bull while Arvid Lindblad joins as the season’s sole rookie. Under the guidance of highly accomplished Team Principal Alan Permane, who replaced Laurent Mekies in a summer reshuffle, they will prioritise keeping the positive trajectory that they discovered this season.

Lawson was outperformed by his young team mate and will now have to fully embrace his role as the senior driver while Lindblad gets to grips with the new environment. If the Kiwi can take every opportunity that presents itself and decrease his tendency to clash with other drivers, regular points finishes could be on the table for him.

"Having a driver who will be able to also help Arvid is good," Permane recently told F1.com. "It's something I've spoken to Liam about. I don't expect him to be a mentor for Arvid, far from it, but I do expect him to be there.

"OK he has only got a season and a half under his belt, but he has a lot more than Arvid has. He should be able to – and I would expect him to – help Arvid out when things are tough for him, especially early on and during testing."

The new regulations and complex design of the cars could also see the competitive order shift, but after their flashes of success this season, Racing Bulls should be aiming to rise above tough opposition from teams like Williams to top the midfield. To do so, they will need to nail both the strategy and execution while continuing to nurture the talents of their two young drivers.