Hadjar rues costly Baku error: ‘I can’t make mistakes like this’

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar walked away from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with another point on the board – but with little satisfaction.

The French rookie finished tenth after starting eighth, and while his result contributed to a historic full-house points haul for Red Bull’s F1 teams, Hadjar’s self-assessment was brutal.

In a candid post-race reflection, the 23-year-old didn’t hold back, admitting he was “pissed off” with himself for letting a golden opportunity slip.

“It is a shame because I felt good on the mediums, I overtook Lando on the first lap, and it felt good,” Hadjar admitted after the race.

His strong getaway saw him snatch seventh from Lando Norris at the lights, but the restart following an early Safety Car unravelled his progress.

Running wide, Hadjar let both Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc back through, and soon after, Lewis Hamilton as well. Suddenly, he was down to tenth.

“I did a repeat of [qualifying] on the kerb, and I lost two places straight away to Charles and to Lando, so it is frustrating and we fell back, but on the hard tyre we were really quick and catching the guys ahead,” he explained.

“I can’t allow myself mistakes like this”

For Hadjar, the mistake stung not just because of the positions lost, but because it echoed his costly error in qualifying.

“[Without the mistake], there is a probability we would have finished in the same position. It’s just that it could have changed the race, and I made this mistake.

“That is what pisses me off. In important moments, I can’t allow myself to make mistakes like this.

“I am just mad because I didn’t really take the wind into account [in qualifying at the final corner], I did a repeat in the race, and that pisses me even more.”

• Read also: Lawson ‘gave it everything’ as Tsunoda threat loomed large in Baku

Despite his frustration, Hadjar’s P10 proved valuable. With Max Verstappen taking the win, Liam Lawson finishing fifth and Yuki Tsunoda sixth, every Red Bull-backed driver scored in Baku.

Hadjar’s point sealed a 100 percent scoring record for the Red Bull family – but the rookie’s standards are clearly higher than the numbers alone suggest.

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