Isack Hadjar scored his first points during the race at Suzuka. The rookie was unable to capitalize on his seventh starting position due to an overtaking move by Lewis Hamilton, but still finished in a respectable eighth place in the top ten. Hadjar is particularly pleased that his ‘more aggressive’ approach in Japan has paid off.
While the driver swap between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda is garnering all the attention within Red Bull and its affiliate team, Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar is quietly getting more accustomed to his new job as a Formula 1 driver. The Franco-Algerian driver scored points for the first time in Suzuka, his third race in the premier class. Hadjar eventually took home four points, the most so far by a Racing Bulls driver this season. An impressive feat for the rookie, who started the race from seventh place.
The Racing Bulls driver explained to Sky Sports how he managed to finish in eighth place at Suzuka. “In Shanghai, we already had the pace, but we didn’t finish in the points. This time I was more aggressive at the start, and I was able to maintain my position.” In Shanghai, Hadjar finished just outside the points in eleventh place.
In overtaken by Hamilton
Only Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari managed to overtake Hadjar during the race. The Brit’s overtaking move was ultimately the only action that prevented the entire top ten from remaining unchanged. “It was a shame that Lewis passed me. But he was simply faster. I’m ultimately happy that I was able to score my first points here (at Suzuka).”
