5
u/Daniel12468 1d ago
From the post race commentary it sounds like he was possibly a test subject for using a set of used softs from earlier in the weekend to test race pace over a hard/med
10
u/BeneficialStation853 1d ago
I really feel that this race if Liam had still been in the car it would have been a 1/3 for RBR, maybe even a 1/2.
Not to say Liam is always better, Hadjar is deserving of his spot. But Liam seemed to enjoy this track and drove it very well.
My overall point being Hadjar and Lawson should have been fighting for the 2nd Red Bull seat next year not Lawson/Tsolov for Racing Bulls. They are very close.
8
u/mahoganyspitfire 1d ago
They probably don't want Liam in the Red Bull because Liam will race Max where Isack won't.
Liam often finds himself racing Max in the Racing Bulls car, even. Judging by the start yesterday, Max has even finally learned that he can't push Liam around like he can with pretty much everyone else on the grid. He gave Liam loads of space. Maybe partly because it was a wet track, but still.
0
u/Silly_Morning3375 1d ago
It’s also a track where max has a lot more experience than hadjar
3
u/BigBill58 1d ago
I mean, that’s every track, but for his first time racing here in F1 he did perfectly fine.
4
u/Spiderbat81 1d ago
His is primary handicap at the restart was a sudden software or technical glitch that completely drained his Battery. No more ERS. He also complained not getting enough temp into the tires behind the safety car. That´s about it.
4
u/Dodecahedrus 1d ago
He was busy half his race defending against Lewis. That means he has to focus on his rear, rather than try to overtake himself.
And honestly: since Lewis is his childhood idol, battling him in a Ferrari was probably a big enjoyment for him.
I was surprised that he suddenly fell back in those last few laps. Pain in the wrists came back after over-exertion?
-2
u/cheezus171 1d ago
So he was going slower than he would've because he had to defend? Mate this makes zero sense. You got it completely backwards - he had to defend because he was slow. If he had anything more to give, he would've done it and drove away into the distance like Max did. I mean honestly how does your comment make any sense?
Hadjar didn't have more pace. He was just painfully slow, and honestly it's not like he actually did much defending. Hamilton couldn't mount a proper attack on old tyres, Hadjar was just driving. Once the tyre disadvantage was gone, Hamilton passed almost instantly. Same with Leclerc. And Hadjar couldn't do anything to actually defend.
7
u/Pulverising_Pun 1d ago
He got lucky that he is getting his shot at the start of a new regs where teams are more far apart and with Marko not there. Lawson was told to be under 3 tenth’s of Max, so considering his demands, despite his results I think Isack would still be heavily criticised under Marko. The ones behind him wished they luxury he had.
2
u/mahoganyspitfire 1d ago
If Darth Marko were still around Isack would definitely have been fired for breaking his wrist, Lawson would be gone, and presumably one of either Alex Dunne or Arvid would currently be being traumatised in the second Red Bull and also out of the second Red Bull any time he went near Marko.
There's a reason they fired that bum.
11
u/Jack_Harb Max 1d ago
He is always slower than Max in race pace. Always, nearly 4-5 tenth. In Baku Hadjar had the Soft tires that were surprisingly to everyone the best tire and lasted an eternity. That's why Hadjar was close.
But we could see how fast Max compared to Hadjar after they swapped tires. In the few lap at the end George and Max pulled a gap fast. People simply only see the first half of the race before the SC, only because Hadjar was on the better tires and Max couldn't overtake Piastri who was also on the better tires.
6
u/cheezus171 1d ago
Nearly 4-5 tenths is extremely generous. It's usually quite a bit more than that.
1
u/shelraj0380 1d ago
I agree. But hamilton and leclerc took off like .5 seconds off hadjar a lap this race which was weird
1
u/trq- 1d ago
Well, the Ferrari was very undoubtedly the second fastest car and tbh it probably was not far off the RBR or even close to be on par. Additionally Hadjar might have had some small damage which could have compromised his race. So it’s not really surprising for me that they overtook him. That Ferrari looked like a rocketship.
4
u/Jack_Harb Max 1d ago
If I recall correctly (hope it's not wrong, was a bit distracted with my daughter :D) Hadjar said post race he had damage and was way slower afterwards than expected. So not sure if he had floor damage or front wing or something. And Hamilton was faster in Q3 as well. The Ferrari was faster than people gave it credit for.
1
7
u/Basic_Treat3974 1d ago
The overreaction to last week was insane. The gap betweens cars is huge making him look good.
0
u/shelraj0380 1d ago
Gap between which cars is huge?
1
u/Western-Bad5574 Max 1d ago
All of them. The field was much more bunched up in 2025. So now, when everybody is spread, Hadjar can finish in high positions, even when he's not very close to Max. It flatters him.
In terms of time, yeah, he's maybe not as far as some of Max's teammates have been sometimes, but he's also not very close.
12
u/Inside_Ring8747 Max 1d ago
He is usually much slower in the races than in quali, he was 4 tenths off in quali, so kind of expected
8
u/No-Report-7508 "Yeah, that's fine. Send them my regards!" 1d ago
I guess he damaged the floor when he went on the gravel
0
11
u/Expert_Bandicoot_668 1d ago
Went of at the start into gravel and got floor damage so yeah probably a mess.
Edit:(The floor was also a major part of the baku upgrade)
2
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u/Jasranwhit 6h ago
THEY ARE ALL SLOWER THAN MAX