Isack Hadjar had a complicated Formula 1 Japanese GP, finishing only in 12th position and highlighting that the race was long and marked by difficulties, especially in energy management.
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Despite the result outside the points zone, the Frenchman started the race well and even fought for higher positions. However, problems with battery usage and the timing of the safety car compromised his chances of a better result.
“Today felt like a long race for us. I had a good start and a strong first lap, the plan was to fight with Pierre (Gasly from Alpine), and I managed to do that until the back straight, where I lost a lot of battery,” Hadjar stated after the race. He highlighted that the loss of energy was decisive for the drop in performance of the Red Bull Racing car.
According to him, the team needs to evolve in this aspect to avoid further difficulties: “We need to improve our energy usage, because we had a lot of difficulty with it today,” he stated. The limitation compromised not only direct battles but also the overall pace throughout the race.
Another factor that hindered the strategy was the entry of the safety car at an unfavorable moment. Hadjar explained that the neutralization ended up making the recovery attempt even more difficult: “The timing of the safety car was also unfortunate and, after that, it was difficult to get back into the points,” he said.
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Even so, the French driver had intense battles throughout the race, especially against the two Audi cars: “I had a good fight with the Audis, but I didn’t have the pace to overtake them,” reinforcing that the car’s performance was one of the main obstacles.
Despite the frustration, Hadjar highlighted that work continues within the team to understand the limitations: “Everyone is working hard to understand the problems,” he added.
With a one-month break in April before the next stage, the Frenchman sees the period as an opportunity to react: “Now we have until Miami to put ourselves in a better position,” he added hopefully.
