Isack Hadjar, the rising star of Racing Bulls, was left bewildered and frustrated after a shocking exit during Q2, deeming it a “nightmare” that abruptly ended his Saturday at the Red Bull Ring. Despite a promising performance in Q1 that would have secured him a place in Q3, Hadjar will now have to start from P13 in Sunday’s race.
The talented Algerian-French driver expressed his confusion and disappointment at his sudden drop in performance, unable to pinpoint the cause of his struggles during the session. “I don’t know, my Q1 lap would have qualified me for Q3, so I don’t know how we can go backwards from that,” he lamented, describing his Q2 experience as plagued by “tons of understeer in high speed, tyres not ready for Turn 1, just a nightmare.”
Currently sitting 10th in the drivers’ standings, Hadjar has displayed remarkable skills throughout his debut season in Formula 1, outperforming seasoned drivers like Yuki Tsunoda and his own teammate Liam Lawson. Despite the setback in qualifying, Hadjar remains optimistic, noting that they still have fresh tires available for the race.
On the other hand, his teammate Lawson enjoyed a successful qualifying session, finishing in an impressive P6. Reflecting on his performance, Lawson expressed satisfaction with the progress made in optimizing the car’s setup and his driving style. “It’s been there, it just hasn’t shown. So it’s nice to show it today, but obviously tomorrow is also the important day,” Lawson emphasized, looking ahead to the race with confidence.
As the tension mounts and competition heats up, all eyes will be on Hadjar and Lawson as they aim to make their mark in the upcoming race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
