Isack Hadjar fumes after Racing Bulls’ costly strategy error ruins his strong Shanghai performance and denies him a maiden F1 points finish.
Racing Bulls once again found itself on the wrong side of race tactics during the Chinese Grand Prix — and rookie driver Isack Hadjar isn’t hiding his frustration.
Both Hadjar and teammate Yuki Tsunoda had strong pace in Shanghai. The car was clearly competitive. But a questionable strategy call derailed their chances — a decision that left Hadjar disappointed, though he was quick to point out that he’s not the one making the calls on pit wall.
“It’s my second F1 weekend — my first full race,” Hadjar said. “It’s not up to me to invent strategies.”
The team opted for a two-stop strategy, fearing excessive Pirelli tire degradation. But the drop-off never came, and most other teams adapted accordingly. Racing Bulls didn’t — and paid the price.
Hadjar crossed the line in 14th but was later promoted to 11th after post-race disqualifications for Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly. He finished just 2.5 seconds behind Carlos Sainz, who grabbed the final points position after being classified in a Williams.
“I did everything I could,” Hadjar reflected. “I drove flat out, kept pace with the others, and stayed close even on equal tires. So the performance was there.”
“But again — this is my first real race. If the team tells me ‘this is the plan,’ I stick to the plan. Simple as that. I’m not going to argue strategy from the cockpit on race day.”
Other teams stayed out longer — and it worked. Hadjar believes a one-stop could have put Racing Bulls firmly in the points.
“We’ll never know for sure, but it really wasn’t that complicated. If we’d only stopped once, I think we could’ve finished P7. That was the projection.”
Late in the race, Hadjar also found himself in a scrap with Alpine’s Jack Doohan — a fight he ultimately called pointless.
“When a driver brakes too late just to block you and doesn’t even make the corner, there’s no point fighting. He got a penalty, so I won that battle anyway.”
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Hadjar Hits Out at Bulls’ Strategy Blunder in China
Hadjar Hits Out at Bulls’ Strategy Blunder in China
