Hadjar had ‘a lot of fun’ in ‘best race we could have done’

Isack Hadjar continued his impressive run of form in Barcelona last weekend, bringing his RB01 home in seventh place after a gritty, strategic drive that the Racing Bulls charger described as “a lot of fun” as he went toe-to-toe with a F1 veterans.

It was the 20-year-old’s third consecutive top ten finish, and one that highlighted once again both his maturing racecraft and the Racing Bulls team’s growing competitiveness.

Starting from ninth on the grid, Hadjar held his nerve in a frenetic opening lap that saw him fight off the likes of Fernando Alonso and fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly.

He dropped just one place after his first pit stop as Racing Bulls executed a clever strategy to keep him inside the points-paying positions throughout.

At the second stop, he rejoined the track still in the top 10 — albeit now on used soft tyres, a decision that would ultimately shape his finish.

While Nico Hülkenberg’s fresher rubber saw him pass the young Frenchman in the closing stages, Hadjar still took the chequered flag in eighth position before being promoted to seventh after Max Verstappen was hit with a post-race penalty.

“Really happy, it is the best race we could have done,” commented the rookie.

“I really enjoyed it as well as there was some really good fighting, especially on Lap 1 with Fernando and Pierre, honestly I had a lot of fun and overtook a few cars as well,” the rookie said.

“Good pace on the medium was I think our strength and we made the most of it, extended on the soft, honestly we played it really well today.

“It’s just a shame at the end that Nico [Hulkenberg] on new tyres got us but, you know, he was way too fast for us.”

Turning the Corner After Rocky Start

Hadjar’s breakthrough in Europe is all the more impressive given his difficult start to the season, which included a dramatic formation lap crash in Australia.

But since the championship returned to the continent, he’s scored three times in as many races — ninth in Imola, sixth in Monaco, and now seventh in Spain.

“I feel like I couldn’t have imagined a better triple header, three points finishes in a row is definitely great, good momentum and I feel like the car is finding a bit more pace and we also know how to extract it. So, I think the momentum is great,” he added.

That momentum has also helped Racing Bulls leapfrog Haas in the Constructors’ Championship, a significant achievement for a team fighting in the ultra-competitive midfield.

Frustration for Lawson After Bold Effort

On the other side of the RB garage, Liam Lawson’s Spanish Grand Prix was a case of what might have been. The Kiwi racer pulled off some aggressive and entertaining moves — including a daring lunge on Alex Albon and a spirited attempt to pass Ollie Bearman — but ultimately fell agonizingly short of the points in 11th.

“From our side it was a very strong race, we just ended up in the wrong position,” Lawson explained.

“We missed the Safety Car line by half a second probably so everyone in front of us boxed and we just got screwed, so it's just... to have it that close, after all the work we did in the race, just sucks.

Running 10th at the Safety Car restart, Lawson was disadvantaged by being on 14-lap-old soft tyres while those around him had fresh rubber.

He fought hard but was ultimately overhauled by Alonso in the final laps, losing the final point-paying position.

With a car that is increasingly responding to its drivers’ feedback and a rookie who’s finding his stride, Racing Bulls left Spain with growing confidence – and a young star driver confirming with each passing race his undeniable potential.

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