Shock F1 driver predicted to win EVERY race if one small change made

isack hadjar, max verstappen, fernando alonso — Photo: © IMAGO

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Shock F1 driver predicted to win EVERY race if one small change made

Isack Hadjar tips one of his F1 rivals for a return to the top

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 22 June 2025 17:57

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An up-and-coming star of the F1 paddock has tipped a surprise driver to return to the top of the pack if one small change were introduced.

Isack Hadjar was one of six rookies at the start of the 2025 season, and after a disappointing end to his debut in Australia, he has since bounced back with determination to prove his place in the paddock.

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The 20-year-old has done just that, bringing home more points than both current and former Racing Bulls team-mates Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

As a result, Hadjar now sits P10 in the drivers' standings and frequently finds himself battling for positions on track with champions and racing heroes of his own, including Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Rookies have often noted the Spaniard as a great learning source given his unique racecraft, and now, Hadjar has claimed Alonso would win every race if the sport were to return to using manual shifts.

Beyond the Grid, the official F1 podcast, asked one of the most notable rookies, Hadjar, what would happen if F1 switched to manual gearboxes

Hadjar believes that if he were to go back in time, one name would stand out: Alonso. "He would win every race," he acknowledges. "They're different skills, ones I don't have. I'd have serious problems if something like that happened."

Alonso's skill has earned him two championships and 32 victories in F1

How has F1's gearbox changed?

Another of Hadjar's heroes, the legendary Ayrton Senna, was infamous for his control of the manual H-pattern gearbox and manual clutch in F1 during the 1980s and 1990s.

Reflecting on Senna's impressive handling of the manual transmission era, Hadjar appeared to appreciate the skill it took, explaining how he felt it wouldn't be possible to reintroduce it to modern F1 cars.

"It's so much hard work.

"When I look at how fast we downshift, we upshift the gears and how late into the corners we downshift, I think it just wouldn't be possible, the car would be just way too fast, and you'd just be losing time.

"You're kind of missing out on pure racing as well, with slower cars we should absolutely."

The heel and toe footwork and impressive multitasking required during Senna's era of racing is, as Hadjar described, no longer used by drivers in F1.

The modern machinery is instead electronic and paddle-controlled, offering better reliability to drivers and teams and with less work to do given the hand clutch is only required at the start of the race, it means the stars of today can focus more on their own race and strategy.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Fernando Alonso Isack Hadjar