Hadjar cagey on ‘super painful’ issue that marred Belgian GP

Isack Hadjar was left visibly disappointed after his promising Belgian Grand Prix turned into a nightmare, as the Racing Bulls rookie dropped from a strong starting position to finish dead last – plagued by a “super painful” mysterious issue with his car that left him with "no chance to fight."

Starting eighth on the grid at Spa-Francorchamps, Hadjar had been eyeing another standout result in what has been an encouraging debut Formula 1 season.

But any hopes of scoring points quickly evaporated as he plummeted through the field after his switch from Intermediates to Mediums on lap 13 and became the only driver to be lapped.

Hadjar Silent on Specifics

Post-race, Hadjar admitted there had been a problem with his VCARB 02, but he was tight-lipped about the details.

“I had a problem with the car, but I just can’t say much, but [it was] very, very frustrating,” he told reporters.

“It made me not competitive, and losing quite a bit of time every lap consistently, and I was aware of it. I did my best, and it was super painful at a special track like this.

“I had no chance to fight. Even if I started way ahead, I would have been caught and overtaken.”

The contrast was made even starker by team-mate Liam Lawson, who brought home a strong eighth-place finish. With both cars qualifying inside the top 10, the team had realistic hopes of a double-points haul – until Hadjar’s race fell apart.

From Promise to Pain

Reflecting on what might have been at Spa-Francorchamps last Sunday, Hadjar acknowledged the team’s strong performance throughout the weekend, which made the outcome all the more baffling.

“The pace has been super strong the whole weekend,” Hadjar noted. “So, what happened today makes no sense, [but] where we have ended up makes a lot of sense, so it’s a shame for the team to miss on a double-points finish.”

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix

Despite the setback, the 19-year-old Frenchman took a philosophical view of the experience, framing it as part of the learning curve in his first full F1 campaign.

“I needed a weekend like this,” he said. “Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted, but we had a tough run, and we are aware it happens over a very long championship, and the goal is to get back up and understand and improve, and that’s what we did here.

“We turned it around really well, and we’re confident for Budapest.”

Hadjar will have his chance to rebound quickly, with the Hungarian Grand Prix just days away. And if his form before Spa is anything to go by, don’t count him out just yet.

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