Race to Monaco podium was far from straightforward for Hadjar
It was a dramatic Monaco Grand Prix but one which ended on the podium for Isack Hadjar
Pot holes and penalties were not enough to deny Isack Hadjar his maiden podium for Red Bull Racing in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The Frenchman was put through his paces around the streets of the Principality as safety car periods, a red flag and an engine misfire threatened to derail his quest for his best result since moving to the Milton Keynes team.
His fifth on the grid quickly became fourth off the line when team-mate Max Verstappen effectively retired on the spot from second, and reliability issues would creep into the #6 car as well later on.
Lamenting a lack of power in the lower gears in his RB22, Hadjar had his mirrors full of George Russell’s Mercedes and he did brilliantly to keep the Brit behind. Told by the team they could not sort the issue, Hadjar would have to manage it for the remainder of the race.
Though he dropped behind the Mercedes after the pit-stops, Russell was given a penalty for speeding in the pitlane, and then a drive-through penalty for not serving his initial five-second stop properly. It promoted Hadjar back into fourth spot, which became third when the red flags came out after a pot hole appeared on track at the final corner.
Hadjar was then jumped off the line by compatriot Pierre Gasly, but he too was handed a 10-second penalty, meaning Hadjar’s dramatic race would end with a trophy at the end, though he would be under investigation for a few hours after the race for an infringement under the safety car which was later dismissed.
“It’s been an outstanding result and weekend,” he said afterwards. “The race was difficult and I had to dig very deep. We got off to a clean start and were managing our race, and then within the first 10 to 15 laps I started having big drivability issues. If there’s one track you don’t want that, it’s here, so that was incredibly challenging having to cover 60 laps.
“There was then uncertainty about what was going to happen with the red flag and you need to get your head back again in focus. Even towards the end, I was still lacking power on the restart.
“It really was the longest race of my life but now it’s finished we got the podium. I celebrated and had my podium and I will always have that. My moment with the lads.”