Isack Hadjar believes that Red Bull missed a good opportunity to contend for the front positions in the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix standings, held this Saturday (7) at Interlagos. The French driver finished the session seventh, but will start fifth after penalties applied to other drivers. Despite the positive result, he expressed frustration with the strategy used in Q3, when the rain intensification compromised his final attempt.
The performance in Q2 had raised Hadjar’s expectations, as he posted the third-fastest time and reached the decisive phase confident in the possibility of fighting for a position among the top three. However, Red Bull opted to bring him out on track closer to the end of the session, precisely when the conditions began to deteriorate. With less grip and more aquaplaning than anticipated, the driver could not repeat the pace from earlier.
“We took a somewhat cautious approach in Q1, but advanced calmly and showed strong pace in Q2, when we were the third-fastest. I went into Q3 confident and believed we had a real opportunity to fight for a position among the three best,” Hadjar explained. “We decided to go out closer to the end of the session, but the rain became stronger and the track conditions grew increasingly difficult. Being among the last cars on track ended up hurting us, because there was very little grip and a lot more aquaplaning than we expected,” he added.
Even with the missed opportunity, the French driver believes Red Bull remains competitive and could deliver a solid result on Sunday. “It looks like a missed opportunity, because we had pace, but the car remains competitive and fifth place gives us a good starting position for tomorrow. I hope the conditions allow the race to go ahead, and we will do everything we can to fight for a podium,” he said.
The Red Bull boss, Laurent Mekies, acknowledged that Hadjar expected more after the Q2 performance, but highlighted the importance of the fifth place on the grid. The official explained that the team made several changes overnight and now has a better understanding of the car’s performance and the areas that still need improvement.
While Hadjar will start from fifth, his teammate, Max Verstappen, will have a recovery race after receiving a penalty for the substitution of power unit components. The Dutchman finished qualifying 16th and will start at the back of the grid, after a session mainly used to understand the car’s behavior and avoid unnecessary risks in the rain.
With the possibility of new adverse conditions on Sunday, Mekies stressed the need to seize opportunities during the race. For Hadjar, the goal will be to translate the pace shown in Q2 into a fight for the early positions, aiming for a podium at Interlagos.
