Hadjar pleased with his first race simulation

Isack Hadjar completed his first race simulation in Sakhir, showing consistency across different tire compounds and covering an impressive 94 laps.

Isack Hadjar completed his first race simulation today in Sakhir during the second day of winter testing with Racing Bulls.

The Frenchman set the 10th fastest time of the day with a 1:30.675 and completed 94 laps.

“Another good day. I was very happy with my race simulation as my lap times were very consistent across three different tire compounds. After that, we moved on to shorter runs with different compounds, which presented various challenges due to the rain. We identified areas where I still have things to learn, but overall, I’m quite pleased with my afternoon and looking forward to continuing this process tomorrow.”

In the morning, Yuki Tsunoda had to settle for 46 laps due to heavier rain. The Japanese driver finished with the 12th fastest time of the day, clocking a 1:30.793.

“It was a bit more complicated today than on the first day. We had some issues to sort out at the start of the session, and then there was rain for a while, which is really unexpected in the Middle East. But detecting problems early and solving them is the purpose of testing. So we stayed calm and focused on what we needed to do. That’s the right mindset we need to maintain throughout the season. We still managed to gather a lot of data and learn more about our car, making progress compared to yesterday. Overall, a positive day with more to come tomorrow.”

Sporting Director Alan Permane assessed the day ahead of tomorrow’s final session.

“Another good day, with progress for both drivers. Of course, the rain slightly impacted the morning session and delayed Yuki’s program, but we were still able to work on a range of setup options, making good progress and improving the car.”

“In the afternoon, Isack covered a full race distance with pit stops, completing a two-stop simulation. It was a valuable day of learning for Isack regarding tire management and the differences between the compounds Pirelli provides here. After that, the program shifted to setup work and pit stop practice. A solid day of testing with more to come tomorrow.”