Isack Hadjar left the Sprint qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1 satisfied, after considerably reducing the gap to Max Verstappen. The Frenchman finished just 0.101 seconds behind the four-time world champion and described the result as a positive sign amid the difficulties faced by Red Bull Racing.
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The two drivers will share the fourth row of the grid in the Sprint race this Saturday (23) in Montreal, with Verstappen slightly ahead. It was the smallest gap between them in a Sprint qualifying session this season, showing a clear improvement from the young driver compared to previous rounds.
In China, Verstappen was 0.469 seconds faster than Hadjar. In Miami, the Dutchman’s advantage reached an impressive 0.961 seconds. In Canada, however, the Frenchman managed to get much closer after a gradual adaptation work throughout Friday.
Hadjar explained that he faced difficulties right at the start of the weekend’s activities: “I had a slow progression. In TL1, I couldn’t even set a lap with the soft tires,” said the driver, highlighting that he started the session with few references to find the best setup.
According to the Frenchman, confidence only increased in the decisive part of the Sprint qualifying: “I was progressing little by little and finally had a good feeling in SQ3 with the softs. I’m happy with the final lap,” he said.
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Besides the closeness to Verstappen, Hadjar also highlighted that the performance served as an indicator of personal progress within the team: “The gap to my teammate is smaller than in Miami, so that’s reassuring,” he added.
Even with this progress, the young driver made it clear that Red Bull Racing still faces significant problems with the car’s behavior in Montreal. According to Hadjar, both he and Verstappen remain uncomfortable with the RB22 under the current conditions of the Canadian circuit.
“We are suffering a lot with the car’s bouncing and the track conditions are not good. That’s why we are losing a lot of time. Even when there is grip, we can’t use it,” concluded the Frenchman.
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