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Hadjar overcomes seatbelt agony for Suzuka qualifying glory

Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar turned agony into triumph at the Japanese Grand Prix, battling excruciating seatbelt pain in qualifying to secure a stunning seventh on the grid.

The French driver’s ordeal began in FP3, with radio complaints hinting at a cockpit issue. By Q1, the problem – overly tight seatbelts, specifically his crotch straps – resurfaced, nearly derailing his session.

With no time to adjust, Hadjar gritted his teeth through the discomfort, delivering an “unbelievable” lap to advance to the top-ten shootout, outshining both his teammate Liam Lawson and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Gritting Through the Pain

Hadjar opened up on his uncomfortably physical ordeal in his post-qualifying reflections to Sky Sports F1:

“It was a nightmare! I just pulled through; honestly, I'm really proud of me, the lap I did in Q1 with what I had, unbelievable.

I realised straight in T3, I was like 'OK, this is not going well', and I nearly crashed actually. But I'm OK. [Between sessions] I had to jump out, and jump back in.”

©RB

Speaking later to the media, he elaborated: “In Q1, of course you don't have time to get to jump back out, so I had to deal with it and pull through Q2. But when I came back in the car, put the belts back on, it was all good. It was just pain.”

The fix between sessions eased the torment, setting the stage for his Q3 heroics.

A Brave Final Push

By Q3, Hadjar’s confidence surged. Tweaks to the car’s balance and settings transformed his performance, culminating in a lap that eclipsed even Lewis Hamilton’s effort.

“I was still not happy with everything, every lap we made, we made a nice improvement with the balance, with the settings, and honestly the car just came alive, that final lap,” he recounted.

“It was fantastic, to be honest; I couldn't have gotten much faster. You feel something different when you know it's that final lap of Q3. You're like, 'I'm just gonna add a tiny bit more everywhere' and you're just hoping for it to stick.

“The amount of focus it takes is a lot, but yeah, I was at 100% and I was not previously, so I just managed to be brave enough to make an extra step.”

Matching his Chinese GP seventh, the 2024 F2 runner-up proved his mettle, turning a “nightmare” into a dream result at Suzuka.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.