Isack Hadjar enjoyed a wholesome moment with Lewis Hamilton during the official series photograph shoot in Bahrain, hopping down from his spot to fist-bump and greet the seven-time world champion.

Hadjar is entering his rookie F1 season with Racing Bulls, and while the French-Algerian racer is looking to establish a long and successful career with Red Bull, it is one of the Milton Keynes squad’s longest-serving rivals who serves as his motorsport hero.

When Hadjar lines up on the grid at the season opener in Melbourne, he will race alongside Hamilton for the first time. However, the pair have shared the racetrack together in the past when the Red Bull junior driver made his FP1 debut for AlphaTauri.

Upon completing his FP1 stint in Mexico City in 2023, Hadjar said on the radio: “Best day of my life, mate. That was incredible. Thank you. Is he pushing? I want to wave at Lewis! Haha.”Real Madrid linked with Jarrad Branthwaite move

The 20-year-old’s admiration for Hamilton spans back to the earliest days of his career. “I grew up watching him,” Hadjar explained to the Formula Two website in 2023. “Since I was three years old, I’ve always been a fan of him and rooting for him until he won seven titles.

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“I was really happy to actually be supporting the guy who was winning everything and I think he’s the most complete driver out there. Since I started single-seater racing, I got interested in Formula One even more and it was clear to me that Lewis was the guy to beat and the reference for me, so I’ve always looked up to him as the GOAT.