Hadjar reveals surprise over Red Bull strategy: "I was a bit slow in my head"

A safety car brought out for George Russell's race-ending collision with Lewis Hamilton, allowed Hadjar to make two stops in the opening laps and drive the rest of the race on hard tyres. The Frenchman first pitted to get off the hard tyres, before pitting again for hard tyres a lap later, as it meant he had driven on two different compounds.

Speaking to the media, including GPblog after the race, Hadjar said: "I was a bit lost with the pitstops, but you know, I trust the guys. And after a few laps I actually understood why we did that so, I was a bit slow in my head, I have to say. But it paid off well and I think the pace was super strong on the hard that second stint, I was very happy, so not too much to improve today."

It was Hadjar's strongest performance in his first season for Red Bull and the Frenchman believed he could have fought for the podium if it were not for his grid penalty.

He said: "It's frustrating because I feel like if I just do the weekend without penalties, I think we're fighting for the podium, considering the pace. It's a bit of a shame. It's surprising in a way that I didn't think a track like that would suit us but not really surprised in terms of my own performance and delivering finally a strong race pace with clean air. Silverstone was super frustrating for me not being able to show the pace and being in a bit of no mans land."

Red Bull drove the Belgian Grand Prix without their 'Macarena' wing, after it was removed following Max Verstappen's accidents during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix and then at the end of the British Grand Prix.

Without the concept, Red Bull delivered a strong weekend with Max Verstappen finishing third and Isack Hadjar recovering to sixth after starting in the pitlane.

Speaking after the race, Mekies clarified to reporters that it was two different mechanical issues with their rear wing which caused Verstappen's accidents. Asked how quickly will Red Bull solve their rear wing issues, Mekies replied: "We will have a fix for Budapest."