At the age of 20, Isack Hadjar is set to make his grand debut in Formula 1 this weekend. He will be the first French rookie since Pierre Gasly eight years ago. The previous 10 French newcomers had varying degrees of success.
Eight years after Pierre Gasly, the last French rookie, a Frenchman is set to make his grand debut in Formula 1. At 20 years old, Isack Hadjar will indeed take off within the Racing Bulls team for the first Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne on Saturday. Let’s look back at the first seasons of the last 10 French rookies who participated in Formula 1.
2017: Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly is the last Frenchman to have debuted in Formula 1, in 2017 at the age of 21. Then a substitute driver for RedBull, he replaced Daniil Kvyat mid-season at the Toro Rosso team. Initially enlisted for two Grand Prix, the Normandy native took part in a total of five races, with his best performance being a 12th place finish in Brazil, after starting from the last position.
2016: Esteban Ocon
A year before Gasly, Esteban Ocon started in Formula 1 with Manor Racing, replacing Indonesian Rio Haryanto. Barely 20 years old, he joined a team in great difficulty, last in the constructors’ standings. He did not score a single point in nine races (with a 12th place as his best result) and finished last in the drivers’ standings.
2013: Jules Bianchi
Reserve driver for Force India, Jules Bianchi (24 years old) was at the wheel of a Marussia for his first GP in Formula 1, in Australia in 2013. The Frenchman made rather promising debuts with a single-seater he barely knew, but failed to score any points (19th in the drivers’ standings) with his best result being a 13th place. However, he re-enlisted in F1 for a following season with a tragic outcome.
2012: Jean-Éric Vergne
Unlike Ocon and Gasly, Jean-Éric Vergne debuted in F1 as a principal driver, alongside Daniel Ricciardo at Toro Rosso in 2012. In his second GP, in a race disrupted by rain, he finished eighth in Malaysia and became, at 21, the youngest Frenchman in history to score points in F1 – he was dethroned by Ocon in 2017. He scored in three other Grand Prix and finished the season in 17th place (16 points), ahead of his teammate.
2012: Charles Pic
Like Jean-Éric Vergne, Charles Pic (then 22 years old) made his debut in 2012. Within the new Marussia team with Timo Glock, the Drôme native took part in 20 GP (five retirements) with his best performance being a 13th place in Brazil. He did not score any points and finished 21st.
2009: Romain Grosjean
In 2009, Romain Grosjean, who was 23 years old at the time and the third driver for Renault, replaced Nelson Piquet in Formula 1 in August. He made his debut alongside Fernando Alonso, in a tense atmosphere less than a year after the “Crashgate” in Singapore – Piquet’s deliberate crash to favor an Alonso victory, which resulted in director Flavio Briatore being banned from F1. Grosjean competed in nine Grand Prix without scoring a single point, retired twice, and found himself without a drive at the end of the season. He had to wait two years before returning to F1.
2008: Sébastien Bourdais
When he started in Formula 1 in 2008, Sébastien Bourdais was not exactly a young hopeful. A four-time reigning champion in Champ Car, the Frenchman took his chances in F1 with Toro Rosso and Sebastian Vettel at the age of 29. Despite retiring in his first race in Australia, he was ranked seventh – only six drivers finished the race. The rest of the season was more challenging, with four retirements, but Bourdais bounced back in Belgium. Third at the start of the last lap, he ultimately lost four places at the finish. He ended the season 17th with four points, contributing to his team’s sixth-place finish.
2006: Franck Montagny
As the third driver for the Japanese team Super Aguri, Franck Montagny took advantage of the ban issued to Yuji Ide, whose driving was deemed too dangerous by the FIA, to make his debut at the German Grand Prix. Driving a car with modest capabilities, he took part in seven Grand Prix without scoring a single point and did not finish the season, replaced by Japanese driver Sakan Yamamoto after his only F1 experience.
1999: Stéphane Sarrazin
A versatile driver who became a regular at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for two decades (finishing second five times), Stéphane Sarrazin had a brief stint in Formula 1. He took advantage of Luca Boeder’s withdrawal to participate in the 1999 Brazil Grand Prix with Minardi-Ford. He qualified 20th, ahead of his teammate, but retired on the 31st lap due to an accident in the first and only Grand Prix of his career.
1995: Jean-Christophe Boullion
Jean-Christophe Boullion was chosen by Sauber to replace Karl Wendlinger, who had suffered a serious accident. The 23-year-old from Briochin made his debut in Monaco and competed in a total of eleven races, scoring points twice (5th at Hockenheim, 6th at Monza). After 11 Grand Prix, he handed his drive back to Wendlinger for the end of the season, finishing 16th in the drivers’ standings.
