Hadjar powerless in Montreal: "I felt like I was the slowest on the train"

The fall is all the more abrupt given that we had become accustomed to the exploits. Isack Hadjar was on an impressive run of four out of five races in the points, which had allowed him to climb to 9th place in the Drivers' standings. After a tricky race in Montreal, he had to cede this position to his compatriot. Esteban Ocon.

With the exception of the Australian Grand Prix, where he crashed on the formation lap, the Canadian weekend was arguably the most difficult of the season for Isack Hadjar. Penalized three places on the grid for obstructing Carlos Sainz In qualifying, the Frenchman fell down the rankings as the race progressed, finishing in an anonymous 16th place.

According to Hadjar, this poor performance is primarily due to the wear of his tires and the lack of responsiveness of Racing Bulls in terms of strategy. “We suffered very early and we suffered graining after 10 laps, he noted, upon arrival, at the microphone of Canal+. We stopped too late, I didn't understand why we stayed on the track for so long. We just lost positions and came back after."

A weekend to forget for Racing Bulls

Stuck in the peloton during the second part of the race, Hadjar could only notice the lack of rhythm of his car to Montreal. “Afterwards, we were on a train but, honestly, I felt like I was the slowest in the group so I tried to fight as best I could., he admitted. In the end, there were guys in new mediums, I had no chance."

Overall, it was a weekend to forget for Racing Bulls, where the Frenchman's Q3 was the only bright spot. Qualifying 19th, his teammate Liam Lawson started from the pit lane and retired late in the race to preserve his new engine. "That's how it is. These are races without rhythm, it's a bit tough.", summarized Hadjar.

Before Montreal, the Racing Bulls driver had scored more points than the two drivers Red Bull gathered at the last two Grands Prix. In light of this statistic, one might wonder if this poor performance is not a blessing in disguise. It will allow the Frenchman to get back to work, in the shadows, while he was recently in the spotlight regarding a hypothetical promotion.

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