Isack HadjarĀ roared theĀ 2011 championship-winningĀ RB7 past a sea of FrenchĀ fansĀ as heĀ returned toĀ home soilĀ for the first time as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driverĀ at Circuit Paul Ricard.Ā Ā
In front of an adoring home crowd, Isack paraded around the iconic track allowing him to soak up the electric atmosphere, before taking part in the āFast and Famousā demo run alongside legends of the sport.
Joined by CEO and Team Principal Laurent Mekies, Isack was cheered on by a passionate sell-out crowd of 25,000 fans, as he completed demonstration laps around Le Castellet for the first time since claiming victory there in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021.
Headlining the 2026 Grand Prix de France Historique, Isack took to the 5.8km Grand Prix course, returning RB7 to the historic Formula One layout, waving to his fans as their roar from the grandstands rivalled the deafening thunder of the carās V8 engine.
Isack later joined fellow French F1 driver Esteban Ocon in the āFast and Famousā segment, which placed cars from several decades of F1 history against one another in a celebration of legacy. Earning the biggest cheer of the afternoon, Isack raced Ocon down the Mistral Straight.
Sharing the track with four-time World Champion Alain Prost, Isack followed in the slipstream of one of his childhood heroes around Circuit Paul Ricard while also driving alongside Jean Alesi, Philippe Alliot and RenƩ Arnoux, amongst some of the most celebrated names to race under the French flag.
Capping off a memorable afternoon under the Le Castellet sunshine, Isack was given theĀ honourĀ by waving LeĀ TricoloreĀ to signal the start of theĀ āHistoric F1 raceā, featuring an extraordinary collection of World Championship-winningĀ drivers and decades of iconic F1 machinery.Ā Ā Ā
Isack Hadjar, Oracle Red Bull Racing driver, said: “Being here was the perfect day. It was my home Grand Prix here in France and it was my chance to feel the support from so many fans today. I had a lot of fun, both on track and in the paddock. The roar of RB7’s V8 is iconic and it felt so light around this circuit which made for a lovely drive. The atmosphere was unreal, you can get so close to the fans and enjoy special moments with them. Coming here brought back a lot of memories from winning races in F4 and to drive around Paul Ricard in an F1 car was a full circle moment.”
Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, said: “Today has been an incredible event, it’s the first time Oracle Red Bull Racing have shown up in this way for the Grand Prix de France Historique and it felt like a really special occasion. Isack’s popularity here has been through the roof, you feel an extraordinary sense of passion from the French fans for their motorsport and Isack. He had a great afternoon having a good go on track against cars from so many different eras of our sport. Our heritage team and Showrun programme is so unique to Red Bull, itās our way of bringing Formula One to those that haven’t been able to experience a Grand Prix atmosphere before and today they got that.”
