Isack Hadjar produced another eye-catching qualifying display in Mexico City on Saturday, but the Racing Bulls driver was left kicking himself after a small mistake cost him the chance to climb higher up the order.
Hadjar’s session started with a bang, outpacing Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by a razor-thin 0.003 seconds to lead Q1. But the momentum waned in Q2, where he barely scraped into Q3 by 0.012 seconds over teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
In Q3, a half-second gain salvaged a ninth-place qualifying result, which became eighth on the grid following Carlos Sainz’s penalty. The Frenchman will therefore line-up alongside championship leader Oscar Piastri.
“Saying it like this, it's true it's a good session,” Hadjar admitted.
“But I'm still a bit pissed. I was on a very good lap, made a bit of a mistake, and actually I was more far than I expected. So clearly, the other guys made good progress through qualifying and we didn't.”
Heightened Expectations after Lightning Start
After topping the first segment, Hadjar’s expectations naturally rose – only for the balance of power to shift as the session unfolded.
“Topping Q1 meant I expected more for the remainder of qualifying,” he said. “But of course, the top teams, they keep finding performance through qualifying, and we simply don't.”
Despite Racing Bulls’ impressive turnaround from a tough Friday, Hadjar was open about the car’s limitations, particularly in Mexico’s tight and twisty stadium section.
“Clearly, I'm not going to lie, the main issues we have with our car, it's just the kerb-riding, it's just poor,” he explained. “It's the compromise between how much load you're giving up and how much compliance you get with your car.
“Honestly, we made all the right calls [between Friday and Saturday], so that's the most important to me. We really understood what was going on – we were slow, and now we're pretty fast. So within two sessions to turn the car around is very good.”
Potential Maxed out
Even with those constraints, Hadjar was quick to praise the team’s effort to squeeze every drop of potential from the RB01.
“In the end, we managed to max out pretty much everything, so very good,” he added.
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While delighted to start well inside the top ten, Hadjar couldn’t hide his irritation at yet another launch from the dirty side of the grid – a recurring theme this season.
“Honestly now, it’s been I don't know how many races I'm starting on the wrong side of the grid,” the Frenchman lamented.
“Because I know my starts are good, but we keep being on the wrong side, and it's a long run into Turn 1. But let's see... should be chaos, hopefully, and I will take the opportunity.”
For Hadjar, Saturday’s performance was equal parts promise and frustration – but provided more proof that he can mix it with the sport’s elite with the right equipment under him.
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