After a tough Bahrain GP, Isack Hadjar stays upbeat as Racing Bulls gear up for a stronger showing on the fast streets of Jeddah.
Racing Bulls showed some real promise at the start of the season. But the recent Grand Prix in Bahrain didn’t quite live up to expectations. The team seemed to take a step back after encouraging performances in the first few races.
Isack Hadjar, however, remains optimistic. As he prepares for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he believes the struggles in Sakhir were more situational than structural.
“To be honest, Bahrain wasn’t on the same level as the last couple of weekends — or even Melbourne,” Hadjar admitted Thursday in Jeddah.
“Bahrain is a bit of an outlier. The track surface is super low grip, and with the high temperatures, it just doesn’t feel like you’re driving a Formula 1 car. So yeah, we definitely struggled a bit more there.”
Still, the young Frenchman saw positives in the performance.
“I had a car that could’ve made it into Q3 with a cleaner lap, so it wasn’t a disaster. On Sunday, we had a rough opening lap, and that basically set the tone for the rest of the race.”
“I really don’t think it was as bad as it looked. And honestly, I’m confident Jeddah will suit us better.”
Hadjar is no stranger to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit — he raced here in Formula 2. But doing it in a Formula 1 car, around 15 seconds quicker, is a whole new experience.
“Every F1 debut on a new track is a bit of a shock at first,” he explained. “My reference point is always F2, and when you go back in an F1 car, it hits you how different it is. But now I feel ready. I’m really looking forward to driving this track in an F1 — especially that first sector. It’s going to be wild.”
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Hadjar Eyes Redemption as Racing Bulls Chase Pace Hadjar Eyes Redemption as Racing Bulls Chase Pace
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