– Isack Hadjar exercised strong self-criticism after qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix despite a good result. He is convinced that much more was possible.
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: The race in Canada now live!
Hadjar had beaten Max Verstappen by 0.413 seconds in the first qualifying session yesterday and seemed on course for one of his best results of the season. In the second qualifying session, he even managed the fastest timed lap, which was 0.504 seconds faster than the lap of his teammate and four-time world champion Verstappen. Nevertheless, the young Frenchman is dissatisfied with his performance.
“I had a really good feeling,” explains Hadjar, who improved by another 0.046 seconds compared to Q1. “That was frustrating because I did a very good job in Q1 and Q2 and then couldn’t deliver in Q3.”
Disappointment over the decisive lap
Especially the last lap in the third qualifying session troubled him. “The car felt really good. We had a good car and good opportunities, and I couldn’t execute it,” he says.
Read more «Annoyed with myself»: BMW driver van der Linde speaks frankly after victory
Despite the disappointment, Hadjar missed pole position by only 0.357 seconds, making the gap smaller than in all his previous qualifying sessions as a Formula 1 driver. “That’s why I’m dissatisfied,” he says. “We had a good car. The team knows that we are pretty good on days like this. Montreal could have been a highlight.
Confidence looking ahead to the race
For the race, Hadjar remains optimistic. The positive impressions from qualifying outweigh for him. “I feel much more comfortable in the car,” he says. “I’m no longer being torn apart in every corner, and it feels more normal again, more like the first three race weekends.
Looking ahead to race day, he adds: “Miami could be thrown in the bin for me, and now we are back to more normal conditions. I am satisfied with the car and the setup changes we made up to qualifying. We have come significantly closer to pole position, so we are on a good path.”
Read more Mercedes thriller in Montreal: Why Antonelli narrowly missed pole position
