Formula 1 had a challenging qualifying for Isack Hadjar at the 2026 Japanese GP, but the driver believes he extracted the maximum possible. Starting eighth, the Frenchman sees room to fight for points in a race that could have more overtakes than usual at Suzuka.
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The Q3 performance came after a complicated weekend for the team, which did not show consistent pace in previous sessions. Still, Hadjar considers that the result reflects the car’s current limit.
“We knew that reaching Q3 would be difficult given the pace we showed throughout the weekend, so P8 was close to the maximum I could do today,” he stated.
According to the driver, changes made before qualifying helped improve performance, but brought new challenges in driving. “We made adjustments that made us faster, but the car became very different to drive, so I needed to adapt,” he explained.
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In the final attempt, Hadjar lost control on a lap that could have been even better. Even so, he believes he wouldn’t have moved much further up the grid. “I lost the car on a lap that was good, but I don’t think that would have put us much further ahead,” he said.
For the race, the focus is clear: score points and evolve. The Frenchman highlighted that the expectation is for low tire degradation, which could open space for direct battles. “With these cars it is possible to overtake, so there could be good battles. The goal is points,” he added.
In addition to the immediate result, Hadjar highlighted the importance of learning throughout the weekend. “Our ultimate goal is to leave here with a better understanding of how to make the car faster,” he concluded.
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