Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson delivered a strong performance in the Monaco GP, securing valuable points for Racing Bulls through smart strategy.
Isack Hadjar finished sixth in the Monaco Grand Prix after starting from fifth, having only been overtaken by Lewis Hamilton. The Racing Bulls rookie is pleased with the points earned, especially with Liam Lawson also finishing eighth.
“We stuck to Plan A, Liam played the team game well and we managed two early pit stops in the race, securing sixth place early on. It was a good race—honestly, it felt a bit long, but I’m happy for the team and it’s great that Liam finished eighth too,” Hadjar told Canal+.
The Frenchman admitted, however, that his 58-lap stint on hard tyres was challenging: “It was a long stint on the hard tyres, but it’s Monaco and I knew I was going to keep my position. But it wasn’t easy in terms of tyre management.”
Hadjar is understandably very positive about his first Formula 1 weekend in Monaco: “I’m really proud of myself, I had a solid weekend. I’m pleased with my progress. We struggled a lot at the beginning, and we made the improvements we needed. Starting fifth in the train of the top teams was crazy, and I’m very happy.”
“It’s hard to stay focused,” says Lawson
Liam Lawson is pleased to have finished eighth and added more points for his team after a string of disappointing races: “I don’t know what to say, I was pushing flat out! It’s awesome—we had a plan and we executed it perfectly.”
“It’s great that we put ourselves in the position to do that by getting both cars into Q3 yesterday. I wanted to do better yesterday, but from the team’s side, it’s great to have both cars in the points.”
The Racing Bulls driver explained that driving slowly changes a driver’s entire perspective: “It’s very different. We’ve all seen Senna drive here, slow down, and crash. When you’re not pushing, it’s very hard to stay focused—your mind wanders, and it’s difficult.”
“I was watching Alex behind me and I feel bad because I watched his onboard footage before the race and he went through the same thing last year behind a VCARB, and again this year. But it was harder than I expected.”
While he understands he had to be the one holding the pace, he explains that it complicated his race: “We prioritised the better-placed car and hoped it would work for me. There was a risk it wouldn’t, but it did. Carlos and Alex did the same and it worked in our favour.”
“When I started to push, I had cooled everything down so much that I had no grip. We had a good stint in clean air, but as soon as you start to slow down, your lap time changes a lot, and you start making mistakes and noticing things you usually wouldn’t.”
He explained how the plan was put together: “It was after qualifying. If we had been outside the points, it would have made less sense. It was something that made sense after qualifying, and for me, I knew it would be the right thing. Scoring points with both cars is important.”
The New Zealander scored his first points of the season, but says it has no effect on his confidence: “Honestly, I’ve been comfortable since I got in the car in Japan. Everything has to go right for a good result, and that hadn’t been the case before, but it was here.”
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