Isack Hadjar returned to the Red Bull cockpit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to claim fourth place in qualifying, outpacing teammate Max Verstappen amidst a troubled session for the Dutch driver. Verstappen struggled with engine and battery failures that relegated him to eighth on the starting grid, finishing 1.555 seconds behind pole-sitter George Russell.
Hadjar returned to Formula 1 following a three-race absence due to a broken wrist, during which Liam Lawson filled his seat at Red Bull. In Baku, the French driver posted a lap 0.974 seconds off Russell’s benchmark to secure a spot in the second row.
“I’m satisfied. If I had raced the last three races, I would have been second at the start. I feel like it’s a tough track to come back from after two months,” Motorsport.com cited Hadjar as saying.
Hadjar adopted a cautious approach throughout the weekend’s practice sessions to avoid damaging his car in Baku’s tight barrier-lined street sections. “I told myself it was important not to touch the wall. There was no point in taking any risks on the way back. I was really a bit under the limit in the tight sections all weekend. Then in Q3 I made a natural step forward,” added Hadjar.
Verstappen Cites Engine and Battery Failures in Baku
Max Verstappen’s qualifying session unraveled after showing strong pace earlier in the weekend, including topping the third practice session. Mechanical complications prevented the reigning world champion from challenging for pole position, leaving him over half a second behind his teammate.
“I was lacking top speed throughout qualifying. I was losing half a second just on top speed, even compared to my teammate. The engine wasn’t working, that was the first problem,” Sky Sports F1 quoted Verstappen as saying.
The issues compounded in the final segment of qualifying. Verstappen noted that his car’s energy storage system failed to recharge during out-laps. “Then in Q3 in the middle lap, when I was trying to get the lap going, the battery wouldn’t charge. So you start the lap with half the battery, you have to give it up, then you lose temperature because you don’t have enough energy. Then it all adds up to the last lap,” explained Verstappen to Sky Sports F1.
A late yellow flag caused by Lando Norris sliding off the track further disrupted Verstappen’s final flying lap, cementing a difficult afternoon for the Red Bull team.
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