Isack Hadjar once again proved his consistency by finishing among the top ten in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. The French driver of the Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) team secured an encouraging eighth place, a strong result on paper. However, at the end of the session, Isack Hadjar did not hide his frustration. His disappointment stemmed less from the final position itself, and more from the sensations he experienced on track and from his inability to improve his pace in Q3 compared to Q2—something that has become a recurring issue.
In his own words, Isack Hadjar explained that recent race weekends have followed a frustrating pattern where he often sets slower times in Q3. He remarked that by the time the final session begins, the tyres have already delivered their best, and the track evolution often doesn’t help. “In the last few weekends, the same thing happens: we go slower in Q3. In Q2, you’ve already extracted everything, and the track doesn’t improve — today, with the sun, it actually got worse,” he observed, indicating the impact of changing track conditions.
Despite the positive result, Isack Hadjar admitted that he could have delivered more. He described his laps as solid but far from spectacular. “I didn’t do any spectacular laps. It was a good job overall, yes, but I didn’t fully exploit the car’s potential. It’s a shame, because the car was really well balanced today,” he noted, suggesting that the setup had finally come together well for this session.
When asked if he was satisfied with the outcome of qualifying, Hadjar responded without hesitation: “No.” His frustration was further fuelled by the narrow time margins separating him from his closest rivals. “Alexander Albon is just one-tenth ahead. That tenth could have been found, maybe in Turn 1 where I lost a bit,” he explained. The French driver did, however, confirm that the changes made between the Sprint session and Qualifying were effective. “We were quite far off from the Haas cars, but now it’s much better. We changed a lot, and it worked,” he added, expressing some optimism about the direction the team had taken.
Looking ahead to the Grand Prix, Hadjar brought up another critical topic: the Drag Reduction System (DRS). He did not mince his words when addressing its limitations. “They should put it on every straight. Today I had zero chance of overtaking — none. So yes, I agree with Alexander Albon: we need a longer DRS zone,” he stated bluntly.
With a competitive race pace and an extremely tight midfield, Isack Hadjar knows that every detail could make the difference on Sunday. However, he also recognizes that gaining ground will require more than just one extra tenth — it may also require external factors like improved overtaking opportunities through longer DRS zones or unpredictable race conditions. Despite his visible frustration, the young French driver remains focused on maximising his chances, knowing well that Spa often delivers surprises and that even small improvements could make a big difference in such a closely fought field.
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