Isack Hadjar captured the eighth starting position for the Japanese GP on Saturday. The young Parisian was thus faster than teammate Max Verstappen, who failed to drag his Red Bull out of Q2. It is the second time this year that Hadjar has qualified ahead of his more experienced teammate, a striking statistic given the usual relationship between Verstappen and the second Red Bull driver. Hadjar is nonetheless focused on improving the RB22.
Read more Verstappen clarifies spat with British journalist: ‘Matter of respect’
“I knew it would be difficult to reach Q3, given the challenging free practice sessions,” Isack Hadjar reacted after qualifying. “And in qualifying, the car suddenly felt very different,” he sighed, “and not necessarily much better. It is still incredibly difficult to drive the car,” the French driver explained. “P7 was a bit of my goal today, knowing that it would be almost impossible, but we are still quite close to that.”
Improvements are key
With an eye on the race, Hadjar wants to set realistic goals. “Looking at which cars are around me, it will already be very difficult to score a point,” he continued soberly. “Of course, a spot in the top-10 is the aim, but points are not the ultimate goal. Tomorrow is mainly about improving the car,” he emphasized. Red Bull already stated on Friday that it still wants to learn a lot about the RB22 and further map out the current problems.
Read more Red Bull searching for balance in Suzuka: ‘Don’t fully understand the car yet’
Problems or not, Hadjar is currently making a big impression at Red Bull. In three Grands Prix, he has now beaten Max Verstappen twice. That is more than all of Red Bull’s second drivers in 2024 and 2025, namely Sergio Pérez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda, combined.
Read more Ferrari wants to further thwart rival Mercedes: ‘They have a significant advantage’
Read everything about the Japanese GP here
