It was an annoyed Isack Hadjar who we left at the end of Free Practice 3. Victim of several driver inconveniences, notably from his compatriot Pierre Gasly, the young man had, for a moment, let his grumpy side show again on the radio. It was a much more satisfied Isack Hadjar that we found after a qualifying session completed with the 9th fastest time, transformed into 8th place on the starting grid following the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz.
True to form, Isack Hadjar could not completely shake off his high standards when discussing his result, aware that there was possibly even better to be achieved.
“I’m happy with the weekend. We just weren’t fast yesterday (Friday),” nuanced the Parisian on Canal+ after the session. “I think we didn’t have the car. We made good progress, so I’m happy with our approach. For my part, I always want to do a little better. I think the last lap was good, but there was still a little more to go for.”
However, Hadjar had started qualifying with a bang. After a very good lap in Q1, he finished the first segment at the top of the timesheet, keeping the McLaren, Ferrari and other Red Bull, accustomed to playing the leading roles. Hopes of a new magic trick in qualifying were then born, recalling memories of Monaco (5th on the grid) and Zandvoort (4th). But from Q2 onwards, everything became more difficult as the top guns picked up the pace.
After a hard-fought Q3 run (10th in Q2), the 21-year-old driver could only manage 9th in Q3, which he converted into 8th on the grid after Carlos Sainz’s penalty. Now the hardest part remains: scoring points on Sunday to end two Grands Prix without a result.
“It’s going to be carnage at Turn 1, so we’ll see,” anticipates the French. “I can’t make any predictions, but normally, if we manage to keep our position, we will finish in the points.” In any case, he regains the upper hand over Liam Lawson, only 15th on the grid after missing his attempts in Q2.
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