“Target is to score points”: Hadjar looks ahead after qualifying P6 in Qatar
- Maham Mir
- 47 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Written by Maham Mir
Isack Hadjar enjoyed a day of two halves in Qatar on Saturday after failing to score points during the sprint but qualifying in the top 10 for Sunday’s Grand Prix. After qualifying, the rookie driver stated: “P6 was really our best today”.
Although the sprint did not go as planned as he failed to score points, Hadjar enjoyed an easier time running in the top 10 compared to his teammate Liam Lawson who struggled behind Ollie Bearman and Charles Leclerc.
Looking at his Saturday overall, Hadjar seemed at ease with his performance and the capability of his car compared to those around him. Despite the up and down nature of the weekend so far and having only the one practice session for crucial data collection, Hadjar claimed that “I’m happy with the performance we showed”.
He further added that “we really extracted the maximum from the car”, a fact proven considering he qualified ahead of both Ferraris and many of his midfield competitors. As the season draws closer to an end, Racing Bulls are comfortably in P6 in the World Constructors’ Championship with 90 points ahead of Aston Martin in P7 with 74 points.
The rookie driver, who is heavily rumoured to be joining the senior Red Bull team for the start of the 2026 season, has emerged as a consistent talent amongst the class of 2025 rookies this season. Behind Kimi Antonelli who has achieved two podiums this season, Hadjar scored his first Formula One podium in his 15th race start in Zandvoort.
His comfort in his Racing Bulls car this season has been evident as he became the rookie with the least amount of Q1 exits in any format earlier this season. Perhaps even more so, his ability to remain consistent despite the high pressure environment that a Red Bull drive is often associated with, regardless of whether it is at the senior or junior team, has been admirable.
Ahead of the penultimate race weekend of 2025, Hajdar outlined that “I expect it to be a full push race and the target is to score points”. With the burden of strategy almost lifted from the teams this weekend after the Pirelli 25 lap tyre limit, it will come down to the pace of each individual driver to determine their success under the desert lights.
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