Isack Hadjar will drive Sebastian Vettel’s iconic RB7 in historic display in France

The Red Bull team officially confirmed this Thursday that the French driver Isack Hadjar, current starter for the team in the 2026 season Fórmula 1, will drive the emblematic RB7 model in his homeland. The young athlete will participate in the Grand Prix of France Historique, an event based on the traditional Paul Ricard circuit, where he will have the opportunity to drive the car that won the German Sebastian Vettel victory.

The single-seater in question is the same one used during the 2011 season, the year in which the Austrian team secured both the drivers’ world title and the constructors’ championship with a large advantage. Hadjar, who is in his first year with the main team after a solid spell with Racing Bulls, will be one of the main attractions of the festival that celebrates the technical legacy of motorsport.

See you soon,@gpfhistorique🇫🇷#F1||#RedBullRacing https://t.co/VfU7CuiaCP pic.twitter.com/F3ZB74nXSM

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing)April 2, 2026

Participation of French legends in Paul Ricard

The event scheduled for May 9th will feature a massive structure, bringing together more than 225 vehicles from different categories and eras on French asphalt. Entre confirmed machines, 60 cars that made history in the sport’s elite stand out, covering a technical period that goes from the 70s to the end of the 2010s.

Isack Hadjar’s presence will not be the only highlight for local fans, as he will share the pits and the track with national icons of the sport. Estão confirmed the participation of four-time champion Alain Prost, as well as renowned veterans such as René Arnoux, Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis and Philippe Alliot, reinforcing the commemorative nature of the exhibition.

The Paul Ricard circuit, which has already hosted 18 Grandes Prêmios top category officials, will serve as the setting for this meeting of generations. Para the young 21-year-old driver, the experience represents a milestone in his professional career, combining the modernity of his current career with the prestige of the machines that dominated the tracks in the past.

The technical legacy and dominance of the RB7 model

Developed under the technical supervision of Adrian Newey, the RB7 is widely considered one of the most efficient and balanced designs in the history of competition-oriented automotive engineering. Equipado with a Renault V8 engine, the model was the fundamental tool for Sebastian Vettel to achieve 11 victories in a single season, demonstrating absolute technical superiority.

• Red Bull won 12 of the 19 races contested on the 2011 calendar with this specific chassis.
• The team’s final score that year reached 650 points, establishing a gap over runners-up McLaren.
• Mark Webber, Vettel’s teammate at the time, contributed another victory and helped bring the team to 27 total podiums.

The car continues to be a centerpiece in Red Bull’s global marketing and exhibitions due to its reliability and the characteristic roar of the naturally aspirated engine. Recentemente, Sebastian Vettel himself returned to guide the model in presentations at Alemanha, keeping alive the connection between the public and the equipment that defined a golden era for the brand.

Pilot Expectations for Home Show

Isack Hadjar publicly expressed his enthusiasm for representing Red Bull Racing in an event of such magnitude within his own country. The competitor highlighted that the opportunity to drive such an iconic vehicle in front of French fans is the fulfillment of a personal objective set since the beginning of his training.

The integration between new talents from the Red Bull development program and the brand’s historical heritage is a recurring strategy to bring fans closer together. Hadjar highlighted that sharing the track space with legends he followed on television during his childhood gives a unique emotional and professional tone to the date scheduled in May.

Currently, the driver occupies 12th position in the general classification of the 2026 world championship, adding four important points for the team. The transition to the main team was accelerated after the consistent performance demonstrated in 2025, which puts the young Frenchman in the spotlight as one of the promises for the future of the grid.

Security and recent history on display events

The use of historic cars in public demonstrations requires strict safety protocols, as evidenced by incidents that have occurred at previous performances. At the beginning of this year, Yuki Tsunoda, the team’s current reserve, faced a risky situation in São Francisco while driving a similar model, which started to catch fire while driving.

On that occasion, the Japanese driver managed to escape the vehicle unharmed, but the episode served as a warning to maintenance teams about the wear of components in old cars. Red Bull reinforced the review processes for the RB7 that will be delivered to Hadjar, ensuring that all mechanical parts and cooling systems are ready for the fast laps planned in Paul Ricard.

Organizers of Grand Prix of France Historique are expecting a record crowd, taking advantage of França’s temporary absence from the official regular season racing calendar. The presence of a current grid driver in a past champion car is seen as the main driver for ticket sales and digital engagement in the weeks leading up to the festival.

Physical and technical preparation for the challenge

Despite being an exhibition, driving a Fórmula 1 with a V8 engine requires a different technical adaptation from the current hybrid cars used by Hadjar. The power delivery and the absence of certain modern electronic systems make the driving experience more physical and direct, requiring absolute precision in acceleration and braking commands.

Hadjar will undergo specific simulation sessions to understand the dynamic behavior of the RB7 before entering the Paul Ricard track. The objective is to ensure that the driver can extract the necessary performance for the “show” promised to the fans, maintaining the total integrity of the machine that belongs to the historical collection of the Austrian team.

Track activities are divided into different batteries, allowing cars from different decades to circulate without the risk of collisions between incompatible technologies. The block dedicated to cars from the 2010s will have the RB7 as the protagonist, with the closing expected for the festivities on May 9th, consolidating Isack Hadjar as the modern ambassador of French motorsport.