Isack Hadjar is eyeing the Formula 2 title as the championship heads to Monza over the weekend.
The Frenchman is in his second season in Formula 2 after he endured a difficult debut year with Hitech.
Hadjar finished the season in 14th place in the standings with one podium in a third place finish at Spielberg in the Sprint Race. The 19-year-old had been leading in the Sprint Race at Zandvoort, but the race was abandoned after just two laps due to poor weather conditions.
The Red Bull junior driver made the switch to Campos Racing for 2024, where things have clicked and Hadjar now finds himself on course for the title.
Isack Hadjar closes in on Charles Leclerc’s record
Hadjar currently leads the championship with four rounds to go, having scored 165 points across the season so far.
READ MORE: How Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s F2 rivals feel amid F1 opportunities
With seven podiums in total, the Frenchman has grabbed four victories in 2024, which is the most of any other driver on the F2 grid. Zane Maloney, Mercedes prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Zak O’Sullivan are the only other drivers to win more than one race this year.
Interestingly, all of Hadjar’s wins have been in Feature Races, taking victory at Melbourne, Imola, Silverstone and Spa. This feat now puts him just one more victory away from equalling the record set by 2017 F2 champion Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque driver, who now races for Formula 1 giants Ferrari, won five Feature Races on his way to the F2 title at Catalunya, Baku, Spielberg, Silverstone and Jerez. Leclerc also won two Sprint Races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi that year.
Hadjar has four opportunities to equal and break Leclerc’s record in 2024 and with his performances this season, that possibility cannot be ruled out.
Can Isack Hadjar get to Formula 1?
While Hadjar holds a 36-point lead over second place Gabriel Bortoleto in the standings, the rule that the F2 champion is not allowed to return to the series makes the Frenchman’s future uncertain.
Hadjar is in the conversation for an F1 seat at Red Bull, but options are becoming limited for the 19-year-old.
With Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo under pressure to keep their seats at Red Bull and RB respectively, there could be an opening for Hadjar. However, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are further ahead in the pecking order and stand a better chance of landing a drive, while there is every chance that Perez and Ricciardo retain their seats.
While his performances have arguably justified a spot in F1, it may be that Hadjar’s future in the pinnacle of motorsport does not lie with the Red Bull family.