Isack Hadjar comes close to scoring and confirms his rise to power in Miami
In Miami, Isack Hadjar came within a whisker of his first Formula 1 point, failing to finish within a whisker of Yuki Tsunoda. But beyond the raw result, it's confirmation of a talent in full bloom, ready to impose itself in the peloton.
It was a close call. For his sixth race in Formula 1, Isack Hadjar gave it his all. But at the finish of the Miami Grand Prix, the Racing Bulls driver had to settle for 11th place… just 0.168 seconds away from the Top 10. Frustrating? Yes. Encouraging? Even more.
A solid Saturday in Miami
The young Frenchman’s weekend had started well. In qualifying, he achieved a very good 11th time, just missing access to Q3. On a wet track, he also completed his very first race in wet conditions, with caution but confidence. “It was my first real lap on intermediate tires,” he said. “I took my time. It’s all part of the learning process.”
Sunday, Hadjar starts 11th and remains in a dense pack, between Alpine and Visa RB. In the final laps, he chases Yuki Tsunoda for that precious 10th place. He almost reaches it… but doesn’t grasp it.
« I had the gap displayed live on my steering wheel. I gave it my all, but it wasn’t enough », he lamented after the race, speaking to the journalists’ microphones.
The rookie admits to having lost a few precious tenths here and there in the heat of the action.
« I gained a tenth over 25 or 30 laps on hard tires. It’s not much… but when you add up my mistakes, it becomes costly. On the last lap, I gave it everything. It was a qualifying battle against Yuki, maybe I tried to do too much.
Learning is underway.
Despite the frustration, Hadjar keeps a cool head: « It’s better to fail just outside the top 10 having the pace, than to be completely out of the running. The strategy was good, the pit stop too. It was my mistakes that made the difference. But we learn. »
He says it himself: he is making progress. Slowly, surely. And the upcoming races could be more favorable for him.
Imola is coming. I love this circuit. I won there in F2. I am confident. And it’s sort of a home race for me.
And until then? A break… in his own way. « I don’t really have a method (to recover). I just wait to get back in the car. Before that, it’s painful. »
But a break in the schedule? « There’s the PSG-Arsenal match. I’m for Paris. We are going to win! But I won’t be there. I don’t have a ticket… it’s frustrating. » See you at the next race, in Emilia-Romagna.
