The Red Bull Racing driver, Isack Hadjar, put in a spectacular comeback during the Belgian Grand Prix, moving from 21st position to 6th, thanks to a tire change strategy that proved to be a masterstroke. This unexpected type of strategy determined his race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Hadjar started the competition from the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for using his fifth engine of the season. Aiming to extend his first stint, the young Frenchman opted for hard tires, surpassing two vehicles to place himself 18th before a safety car came into play following George Russell’s accident.
In response to this situation, Red Bull opted for an initial change to medium tires. Interestingly, two laps later, the driver returned to the pits to switch back to hard tires. ‘The goal was to have options later,’ Hadjar commented, highlighting the intelligence behind this strategy. ‘We lost a few initial positions, but we knew we would recover them quickly, which gave me flexibility later on.’
Despite his initial confusion, Hadjar bolstered his competitiveness and finished the race taking advantage of a new change under virtual safety car. His speed in the final laps, averaging 1m49.727s, was even superior to that of champion Max Verstappen. This allowed him to climb to the top of the standings, culminating in an intense battle against Lando Norris for 6th place.
Red Bull’s director, Laurent Mekies, praised Hadjar’s performance, stating that this had been ‘his best race.’ The driver has accumulated a total of 60 points this season, doubling the points he scored last year compared to his teammates, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
