Hadjar drops crucial verdict on Red Bull upgrades ahead of Miami GP

The French driver, who faced questions about the impact of the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s latest package in Florida, remained measured in his expectations heading into the weekend. Hadjar stressed that he does not expect a sudden leap into podium contention, but highlighted what he states could be considered significant progress for the team.

“I don’t expect to be fighting for a podium this weekend. Naturally, we’re not the only team bringing updates. Obviously, we’re bringing something a lot stronger, we believe, but I don’t think it’s going to solve all our issues. But yeah, I hope we can be easing into Q3, for example, because we’ve been fighting very hard to get there so far. That would be a step forward. And I also haven’t driven, like the other guys, in five weeks, so with only one session going into Sprint Qualifying, it’s going to feel quite awkward at the start. But yeah, let’s see,” Hadjar said during the Miami GP press conference.

Hadjar and the Red Bull Racing outfit have endured a relatively challenging start to the current campaign. Only last time out in Japan did the Austrian outfit complete a race with both its cars due to several niggling issues. Currently, Red Bull lie sixth in the Constructors’ standings, 119 points off front-runners Mercedes.

Earlier, Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc downplayed the fact that any team would make a significant jump due to the flurry of upgrades they introduce through the race weekend. The 28-year-old noted that while he expects racing to be closer, he doesn’t foresee a shift in the established running order.

Leclerc also touched on the prospect of the Ferrari team making a jump over Mercedes, whom they have trailed through the opening three races of the campaign.

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