Isack Hadjar savors his points in Spain, Liam Lawson frustrated

Isack Hadjar confirmed his good form by finishing seventh in Spain, marking his third consecutive points finish. He described the race as very fun after fighting for this position.

His teammate at Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson, experienced a different fate. The New Zealander also delivered several impressive performances, but ultimately finished eleventh, just outside the points.

A strong race for the Frenchman

Starting in ninth place, Isack Hadjar maintained his position at the start and notably battled with his compatriot Pierre Gasly in the early laps. Both had stayed up late the night before to watch the PSG match in the Champions League, but once the visors were down, each played their cards to the fullest.

After an initial stop, Isack Hadjar lost only one position and remained in the top 10 during his second pit stop. He was seventh at the restart behind the safety car but was on worn soft tires, unlike Nico Hülkenberg who had new tires. He lost a position to the Sauber driver, crossing the finish line in eighth place, before reclaiming 7th place thanks to a penalty given to Max Verstappen.

Very happy, it was the best race we could have done. I really enjoyed myself, there were some great battles, especially on the first lap with Fernando [Alonso] and Pierre [Gasly]. Honestly, it was fun and I was also able to make a few overtakes, the rookie said.

« The pace on the mediums was our strong point, we took full advantage of it, and then we managed the stint on softs well. Honestly, we played it well today. It’s a shame at the end that Nico [Hülkenberg] with new tires overtakes us, but he was far too fast for us.

The Frenchman finished 9th, 6th, and 7th in the first three European races, allowing Racing Bulls to overtake Haas in the standings. A nice comeback after a difficult start to the season, marked by a crash during the formation lap in Australia.

« I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome for this triple European race. Three consecutive finishes in the points are great for the momentum. I feel that the car is gaining performance, and that we know better how to exploit it. So I think the momentum is very positive. »

A more mixed assessment for Liam Lawson

On his side, Liam Lawson was also very active on track. He attempted a spectacular braking maneuver on Alex Albon, with slight contact. He then tried a similar attack on Ollie Bearman, in his climb up from 13th on the grid.

He was 10th at the time of the restart behind the safety car, but his soft tires were already 14 laps old. This put him at a significant disadvantage, and he notably lost out to Fernando Alonso to finish 11th.

« On our side, the race was very solid, but we found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. We missed the safety car line to pit by a tiny margin, maybe half a second, and everyone in front was able to take advantage of that. We got caught out, it’s tough after all the efforts we put into the race », explained the Racing Bulls driver.