Hadjar jokes he became Verstappen's 'Deliveroo' as Red Bull plan pays off

The 21-year-old arrived at Spa knowing he would start Sunday's race from the back of the grid after being handed a 30-place grid penalty following Red Bull's decision to fit new power unit components. With little to gain from his own qualifying result, Hadjar instead used the session to assist his Red Bull teammate, Verstappen.

After progressing through the first and second rounds of qualifying, the Frenchman dedicated his final runs in Q3 to providing Verstappen with two perfectly timed slipstreams. Both tows proved highly effective, helping the four-time world champion secure a front-row start alongside Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli, who claimed pole position for the Spa-Francorchamps race.

When asked how the tow had worked and how it had been planned, given the technical complexities of the current regulations, Hadjar offered a cheeky explanation, comparing himself to a delivery driver.

When pressed further if that effectively made him a postman around the circuit for Verstappen, Hadjar simply replied: "Exactly."

The slipstream left Verstappen delighted, with the Dutchman full of praise for his teammate's execution of the strategy. "No, it was flat out. I would have just pushed him! It was close, but he did amazing. I initially thought, 'Oh my God, it's too close,' but then actually it worked out well to the last corner. It was close, but I trusted him," Verstappen explained.

Speaking to GPblog earlier, Hadjar shed more light on the carefully executed tow that helped Verstappen secure a front-row start, explaining that the biggest challenge was not the manoeuvre itself but predicting how the engine would respond after he deliberately slowed before accelerating again.

According to the Frenchman, the power delivery became difficult to anticipate because the engine software was not designed for that type of situation, making it extremely challenging to judge the correct pace and maintain the ideal gap to Verstappen throughout the lap.

Finally, when asked what he expected in return after helping his teammate in qualifying, Hadjar answered with a grin, joking that Red Bull could simply repay him with one thing: "Money."