Isack Hadjar regrets the gap to Max Verstappen after the sprint qualifying in Miami. The young Parisian managed to place himself among the top ten on Friday, but ultimately only achieved the ninth fastest time. Both Red Bull drivers benefited from the same upgrade package, yet Hadjar still had to concede a second to the Dutchman. Frustrated, he spoke to the media.
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The new upgrades are, according to Max Verstappen, a step in the right direction. “At least we are rising above the midfield,” he said optimistically on Friday. However, there is still room for improvement in many areas. For example, the RB22 does not perform optimally in fast corners. Nevertheless, Verstappen managed to secure the fifth fastest time during the sprint qualifying, leaving George Russell and Lewis Hamilton behind. Meanwhile, Hadjar had to settle for P9.
Puzzle
In an interview with Canal+, the Frenchman expressed his frustration. “Honestly, I have been struggling with the car since this morning,” he sighed. “I don’t really understand what’s going on, but of course this result is frustrating; I am a whole second slower than my teammate.” Hadjar was able to regularly match Verstappen in the first three Grands Prix. Moreover, he managed to beat him in the qualifying sessions in Australia and Japan. Now, however, he is faced with a puzzle. “I always knew why I was slower and why I was sometimes faster than him in the first three Grands Prix. But a second? We will have to find out why.”
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“I know I can still drive,” Hadjar continued determinedly. “It is difficult to analyze the developments in this context, that’s for sure. I don’t enjoy the car at all. For me, it’s not yet a big step forward, but Max (Verstappen, ed.) has certainly gained half a second compared to pole position. That is obviously the best result of the year for us.”
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