Isack Hadjar has delivered a stinging “waste of a race” verdict after issues impeded his progress at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix despite a fifth-placed finish.
Hadjar was arguably the lead Red Bull driver at the British GP, last weekend.
He handed team-mate Max Verstappen his first-ever qualifying defeat at Silverstone, and followed it up with a solid fifth-placed finish at the chequered flag.
Throughout the race, he was able to hang onto the Dutchman, and eventually finished ahead of him in the final classification after Verstappen suffered a near catastrophic incident at Stowe in the final phases of the race.
“Just a very good start this time, very good,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Just the pace in the first three laps, very nice. I was kind of kind with Max. But it’s good to follow him, which I was doing really well.”
Isack Hadjar was “confused” by Red Bull issues at F1 British GP
The British GP was his fifth consecutive top-six finish since Canada, but Frenchman was left frustrated after a ‘sudden’ drop in pace mid-way the 52-lap race.
“And then suddenly a huge drop off of pace,” he continued.
“[I thought] ‘OK, maybe it’s something wrong I did in terms of tyre management.’ I went on the hard, new tyres [and I had] no pace. I was very confused.”
As it turned out, however, it was a niggling aerodynamic issue on his RB22 that had left him handicapped.
Naturally, Hadjar felt he could do more. “I was told we were missing load on the car,” Hadjar revealed.
“And once they changed the front wing, went back [out] again. I nearly gained two seconds straight away. A waste of a race, really.”
Hadjar will hope that Red Bull can get on top of the RB22, straight from FP1, at the Belgian GP, in two weeks’ time.
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