Isack Hadjar targets first F1 points to put Melbourne misery behind him

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar believes he has a strong chance of scoring his first Formula 1 points in the Chinese Grand Prix, as he tries to put his Melbourne crash behind him.

Although Hadjar was unable to start last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix after crashing out on the formation lap in wet conditions, he has already made a strong comeback in Shanghai, qualifying in seventh place on Saturday.

The 20-year-old posted a best time of 1m31.079s in Q3, which put him right behind Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but ahead of Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and his more experienced teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

While still apprehensive about his long-run performance, the French-Algerian driver is optimistic about his chances of finishing inside the top 10 and getting his first points on the board.

“Actually I'm really proud of the team,” he told Sky TV. “I can't believe how good the car is performing at the moment. I hit the ground [running] in Q1 and it's already in the ballpark, so really happy with what I have underneath.

“Definitely these guys are realistically out of reach on long runs. But if I manage to nail that start I think I'm in a good position to score my first points. That's the target for sure.

“To be fair coming from F2, it's really good training [for tyre management]. It was my first real race this morning [in the sprint] and I felt like, out of the midfield, I was doing pretty well with the tyre management. Still, it's something we need to look at.”

Asked if he was confident about keeping the faster Mercedes of Antonelli behind him, he said: “I would say it's not possible. If he has the pace advantage over a long run distance, he can undercut, overcut.

“I will do my best but P8 is pretty satisfying.”

Hadjar was trying to warm up his tyres when he shunted his VCAR 02 at Turn 2 on the formation lap in Melbourne, which meant he couldn’t even line up on the grid for what was supposed to be his maiden race in F1.

The F2 graduate was visibly distraught after the DNS and received a hug from Anthony Hamilton on his return to the paddock, but his initial reaction was described as “embarrassing” by Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko.

Asked what he did in the short break between Melbourne and Shanghai events to pull himself up, he said: “I didn't change anything. I know this can happen, happened to me before, a low moment, but I was just so excited to go to Shanghai and just drive again.”