That said, Isack Hadjar is not short on confidence. As Motorsport.com reports, the Red Bull Racing driver feels certain he would have locked down second on the grid in Baku if he hadn't been forced to sit out the previous three weekends due to a wrist injury. Coming back to a street circuit after a two-month layoff is no small task, yet the Frenchman managed to haul his machine to fourth in qualifying.
His Q3 lap of 1m43.500s left him just 0.137s adrift of Charles Leclerc, who secured second. George Russell's pole position was out of reach for the chasing pack, but Hadjar still outpaced teammate Max Verstappen, who could only manage eighth in the session. Fourth place marks Hadjar's best qualifying result since the season opener in Melbourne, where he lined up third.
The Frenchman explained that his initial return to the cockpit required a disciplined approach on a brutal track. He deliberately kept his margin of error wide and stayed slightly under the limit through the tightest sections to avoid kissing the barriers. That cautious mindset paid off until he finally started leaning on the car near the end of Q2, resulting in his first lock-up of the weekend.
Hadjar also noticed distinct improvements in his Red Bull compared to how it behaved before his layoff in Budapest, praising a clear step forward in balance and cornering behavior. Even so, he conceded that Mercedes remains entirely out of reach on straight-line speed, pointing out how much the team struggles down the sector three straight.
Ultimately, the comeback yielded a stellar result despite the missed seat time. Whether that pace translates into a strong race remains to be seen, but the machinery is finally moving in the right direction.
