Hadjar reveals ‘very difficult’ Deliveroo tow for Verstappen at Spa

Hadjar’s high-pressure qualifying role

Isack Hadjar has described the “very difficult” process of giving Max Verstappen a tow during Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, joking that Red Bull had turned him into a Formula 1 delivery rider.

With Hadjar carrying a 30-place grid penalty after several power unit component changes, Red Bull used his qualifying laps to support Verstappen. The plan was to give the Dutchman a tow through the final sector at Spa-Francorchamps — and it worked. Verstappen secured second on the grid, while he believed he would otherwise have qualified sixth or seventh.

The result underlined the value of a precisely timed team effort, but executing it was far from straightforward. Hadjar completed his role effectively, although he feared Verstappen had come too close behind him during the final Q3 lap.

Why the tow was so difficult to control

Hadjar explained that the way the power units operate this season made the manoeuvre particularly challenging. The key problem was judging how the engine would respond after he slowed before delivering the tow.

“Very difficult,” Hadjar told selected media, including RacingNews365, when asked whether it was hard to get the timing right.

“What’s difficult is trying to understand, to guess, what the engine is going to give you because, once you stop out of Turn 14 and deliver the power, the engine is a bit confused because you’ve stopped for no reason, and the software is confused.”

The first Q3 attempt demonstrated the difficulty. Hadjar had too much power and pulled away from Verstappen. On the second run, the balance shifted the other way: he did not have enough power, allowing Verstappen to catch him before the tow could be delivered for the entire required section.

“So that was very difficult to judge,” Hadjar concluded.

The outcome was particularly notable because Hadjar’s own qualifying performance was compromised by his penalty. He will start from 21st, despite showing promising pace throughout the weekend and potentially having had a strong starting position if he had pushed in Q3.

‘Like Deliveroo’

Explaining how the arrangement worked, Hadjar reduced the complex team instruction to a simple joke. “He [Verstappen] decides where he wants it delivered, and I deliver it. It’s like Deliveroo, you know? That was the same.”

The tow ultimately helped Verstappen reach the front row, as detailed in Verstappen credits Hadjar’s tow for Belgian GP front-row start, while Hadjar’s contribution came at the cost of sacrificing his own qualifying opportunity.

Hadjar’s high-pressure qualifying role

Isack Hadjar has described the “very difficult” process of giving Max Verstappen a tow during Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, joking that Red Bull had turned him into a Formula 1 delivery rider.