In a qualifying session that saw Oscar Piastri secure his maiden pole position, rookie driver Isack Hadjar delivered a standout performance by qualifying seventh for the F1 Chinese GP for Racing Bulls. The young Frenchman demonstrated impressive pace throughout all three qualifying segments, establishing himself as a serious contender among F1’s established drivers.
Rising to the occasion
Hadjar made his presence known early in qualifying, showing particularly strong form in Q1 where he briefly topped the timesheets before being demoted by Lando Norris. His pace continued through Q2, where he secured fourth position and a place in the final qualifying shootout.
In Q3, despite having to navigate a tricky moment with Max Verstappen during the out-lap for his final attempt, Hadjar managed to improve his time to secure seventh position on the grid for Sunday’s race.
“To be with the big boys is a good feeling”
Speaking after qualifying in the print media zone, Hadjar expressed satisfaction with his performance while acknowledging there was still more potential to unlock.
“Yes, I am. Always more,” Hadjar said when asked if he was pleased with his qualifying result.
The rookie driver revealed that his best feeling with the car came during the first segment of qualifying. “I think the best feeling I had was in Q1 with the car. And then in Q2 I think the wind was just changing a bit,” he explained.
“I could never find the same balance, so I was struggling a bit more with the car. I knew what I was losing. There was more lap time, more positions to gain.”
Reflecting on his achievement of making it into Q3 and qualifying seventh, Hadjar admitted, “Yes, for sure. To be with the big boys is definitely a good feeling.”
Pace and future prospects
The pace of Hadjar’s car has come as something of a surprise after pre-season testing, where the team’s potential wasn’t clearly evident.
“Yes, it is,” Hadjar confirmed when asked about the unexpectedly strong performance. “In Melbourne we stayed down to earth because it’s a really specific track. When we go to Shanghai, it’s completely different. It looks maybe more like Bahrain, and it seems like the car is still working perfectly. The team has been fantastic maximising the package, and I’m really happy.”
When questioned about the car’s development from testing through Melbourne to Shanghai, particularly regarding front-end limitations that now appear to be a strength, Hadjar provided interesting insight. “I hit the ground in Melbourne straight away,” he said. “Relative to the others the car felt performance, but in terms of feeling compared to Bahrain it didn’t feel worlds apart. Maybe we are good at hiding, I don’t know. But we had the same package. There’s no reason for the car to be much, much better.”
All eyes on the Chinese GP
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Hadjar identified his start as a key area for improvement.
“I think if I can get my start improved, just like Yuki, then I think I’m in good shape at staying around where I’m at. Of course, the goal is to perform well,” he stated.
When pressed on his specific start issues, Hadjar explained, “Simply the launch.”
“The first few metres of the launch, I think. This morning was not amazing. I had a few issues. I know what to improve. I think with my head I have a good start.”
Room for growth
Despite his impressive performance, Hadjar remained grounded, acknowledging that there’s still room for improvement, particularly in executing the perfect lap when it matters most.
“Yeah, it shows the potential is really high,” he said when asked about his mixed feelings of satisfaction and knowing he could have done even better. “At the moment, at the stage of my career, putting everything together on the final Q3 lap is the hardest exercise for me. So I need to work a bit on that.”
When asked the cheeky question if he wanted to drive the Red Bull already, Hadjar responded with a simple: “I’d love to drive any car.”
