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Isack Hadjar labelled his British Grand Prix a āwaste of a raceā despite bringing home fifth place for Red Bull, extending an impressive run of form that has now delivered five consecutive points finishes ā all inside the top six.
On paper, it was another highly productive afternoon. In reality, Hadjar was left with the sense that a stronger result had slipped away after an unexplained loss of performance disrupted the middle phase of his race.
The frustration was sharpened by the fact that his Sunday began far more cleanly than his sprint race. After criticising his poor getaway on Saturday, Hadjar made no such mistake in the Grand Prix, launching well and initially holding position ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen.
As Red Bull continues to attract scrutiny around Verstappenās position and wider competitive direction, covered in our analysis of how Jenson Button believes Verstappen must be āselfishā over his Red Bull future, Hadjarās ability to stay close to the four-time champion in the opening laps was one of the more encouraging parts of his race.
Hadjar admitted he was satisfied with the launch and the early rhythm of the car, particularly after Verstappen moved ahead.
āJust a very good start this time, very good,ā Hadjar told media including RacingNews365. āJust 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.ā
That promising opening, however, did not last. Hadjar said the car suddenly suffered a major drop-off in pace, initially leaving him questioning whether he had mismanaged the tyres.
āAnd then suddenly a huge drop off of pace,ā he said. ā[I thought] āOK, maybe itās something wrong I did in terms of tyre management.ā I went on the hard, new tyres [and I had] no pace. I was very confused.ā
The explanation, according to Hadjar, came from the team: the car was missing load. Once Red Bull changed the front wing during a pit stop, the difference was immediate.
āI was told we were missing load on the car. And once they changed the front wing, went back [out] again,ā Hadjar explained. āI nearly gained two seconds straight away. A waste of a race, really.ā
For a driver finishing fifth, the verdict was strikingly blunt. Yet Hadjarās reaction underlined the competitive standard he is now applying to himself. Another top-six finish strengthened his points-scoring streak, but the pace swing left him convinced the result did not reflect what had been possible.
Heās a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.