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Isack Hadjar rues missed opportunity after George Russell clash at Mexico GP
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- Isack Hadjar rues missed opportunity after George Russell clash at Mexico GP
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Nailing the launch of your life only to get pushed off the track a few corners later is a surefire way to ruin a Sunday. Just ask Isack Hadjar .
Starting seventh on the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Red Bull driver executed a flawless getaway. He aggressively sliced through the pack to secure fifth place through the opening sequence of corners, looking primed for a massive haul of points. But that early momentum was halted at Turn 6.
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Desperately trying to make up ground after his own poor launch, George Russell threw his Mercedes up the inside. The resulting attack sent the Frenchman spinning into the abyss at the back of the pack. While the FIA stewards slapped the Mercedes driver with a 10-second penalty, the damage to Red Bull's race strategy was already permanent.
The turn 6 torpedo
Speaking in the paddock after the dust settled, the 22-year-old made no secret of his frustration over the missed opportunity.
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"Today was a real shame," Hadjar explained. "We knew there was pace in the car coming into the race, so we just wanted to focus on getting a good start, and that's exactly what we did. I managed to get up to fifth and felt really strong through the first few corners."
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Sadly for the Milton Keynes garage, that early confidence evaporated the second Russell's front wing arrived in the braking zone.
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"Unfortunately, George stuck a wheel up the inside at T6, and I was sent straight to the back," he lamented. "From then on, it was going to be so difficult to get back into the points."
A domino effect of bad luck for Hadjar
Forced to completely abandon its initial strategy, the pitwall rolled the dice and swapped its driver onto the medium compound to hunt for clean air. While the RB22 clearly had the raw pace, the tight layout of the Mexico City circuit makes cutting through the midfield a grueling task.
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To make matters worse, the racing gods weren't done dealing out bad luck.
"We pitted onto the Medium, and in the free air, I could feel the pace, but overtaking on this track is very tricky," the young charger detailed. "We got unlucky with the Safety Car timing, and then, on the second restart, I went backwards again as I got closed onto the grass."
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Despite the Lap 1 spin, the terrible caution timings, and getting shoved off the tarmac during a chaotic restart, Hadjar still managed to claw his way back to ninth. Looking ahead to the final leg of the triple-header, the Red Bull camp knows they have the firepower to bounce back.
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"It's not been an ideal weekend, but the car was very fast, and our starts were good, so there are definitely positives heading into Brazil," he concluded.
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