Isack Hadjar left the F1 Imola GP with a couple of hard-earned points, but also a sense of missed opportunity, with the Racing Bulls rookie reflecting on a race that briefly hinted at a stronger result than his eventual ninth-place finish.
Despite securing his third points finish of the 2025 season, Hadjar was left to rue what could have been. The Algerian-French driver had started from P9, but a challenging opening lap immediately set the tone for a race that never quite clicked.
“I think the launch was good. It was the second phase of the start, I lacked a bit of traction,” he explained in the print media pen. “And yeah, that was it. I was fighting hard with Pierre [Gasly]. I was still holding on to P9 and fighting with him. I lost a place to Charles [Leclerc], so, yeah, it was not ideal.”
Early slip, mid-race hope
Hadjar briefly slipped to 11th in the opening exchanges as the field jostled for position. However, a well-timed strategy call during the middle phase of the race brought him back into contention. At one point, he found himself running in fifth, which offered a glimmer of hope for a best-ever F1 finish.
Ultimately he was passed by both Ferraris aftee the VSC.
“Yeah, there was a point where we were at P7, and I thought we were bringing it home,” he said. “It’s a shame about that last safety car, because I think our strategy was perfect.”
It was that late safety car, prompted by Kimi Antonelli’s stoppage, that disrupted Hadjar’s progress. Racing Bulls opted to bring him in for fresh tyres, but the move proved costly in track position as Russell and Sainz jumped him and would go on to stay ahead of him despite having much older rubber. Reflecting on the decision, Hadjar admitted he had doubts at the time.
“Of course, I didn’t want to come in, but also because I didn’t have the global picture of the race. So I had to trust the guys,” he said. “But now we’ll see if it was the right choice. I don’t think it was.”
A learning curve amidst fierce competition
Despite the frustration, Hadjar acknowledged the value of another points finish, even if the race didn’t unfold as hoped.
“We took points, started P9. I wish we were moving forward.”
With its tight layout and technical challenges, the Imola circuit seemed to suit the Racing Bulls to some extent, though Hadjar stopped short of calling it a strong Imola GP weekend.
“Conditions were quite tricky. The car was definitely… It’s never been that good, but at the same time, it was maybe a bit more tricky.“
Even so, the opportunity to battle with names like Ferrari and Mercedes provided some encouragement for the 20-year-old rookie.
“It’s positive, but the Williams are looking a bit too fast. That’s the frustrating bit.
“But on track, it’s definitely fun to race those guys.”
With the second race of this triple header in Monaco coming up next weekend, Hadjar added:
“Monaco as a rookie is going to be impressive. It’s going to be very hard, but… I’m ready and I’m very excited for Monaco.”
