Isack Hadjar scores in three races in a row: “I’m really starting to trust the car”. Isack Hadjar continues his strong F1 form with a third consecutive points finish in Barcelona.

Isack Hadjar: from nightmare to success
The error made during the reconnaissance lap in Australia, the first round of this championship, had raised several doubts about the potential of Isack Hadjar, Formula 2 runner-up and promoted by Racing Bulls after Liam Lawson moved from the Faenza-based team to Red Bull. However, as shown in the early part of this season, the initial impressions have been completely overturned by both drivers—particularly by the young Franco-Algerian talent.

The Spanish Grand Prix, the third European round of the calendar and the third consecutive weekend of the championship, ended in the best possible way for car #6. He scored points in all three races — Imola, Monaco, and last weekend in Barcelona — with a 7th-place finish that nearly matched his best F1 result so far, achieved in Monte Carlo. “I’m really happy with the race, it was a positive and almost perfect performance, something the whole team can be proud of,” said the Frenchman. “I really enjoyed the first stint, although it’s a shame Nico caught us off guard at the end. Our strategy was perfect, the pace on the medium tyres was strong, it really helped us get through the midfield and we had some good on-track battles. We made the right call to pit for softs. I feel increasingly confident with the car and I’m pushing it to the limit every race. As a team, we’re definitely going in the right direction. I couldn’t have asked for a better trio of races, scoring points in each one. I’m looking forward to carrying this momentum into Canada.”

Liam Lawson still struggling
Smiles contrast with the frustration of Liam Lawson, who again missed out on points after the strong teamwork in Monaco that had earned him an eighth-place finish — still his only top-10 result this season, despite starting the year with Red Bull. “From our side, it was a very challenging race,” admitted the former teammate of Max Verstappen, who finished 11th. “Despite spending a long time in traffic, we had good pace and were overtaking cars, so things were working. We ended up in the wrong place and missed the safety car by half a second because everyone ahead of us boxed. To be that close after all the work put into the race is really disappointing. Looking ahead to Canada, we’ll take the positives from the strong race pace. Scoring points remains the goal.”