Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Isack Hadjar says the Lap 1 incident was partially his fault at the Mexico City Grand Prix, as he should have secured a better qualifying position on Saturday.
Hadjar started Sunday's race in Mexico City from seventh place on the grid. He then came across Russell, who had lost several positions following a poor start. As they entered Turns 6 and 7, the Mercedes driver hit the Racing Bulls driver. The stewards also handed Russell a 10-second time penalty for the incident.
Speaking after the race, Hadjar was asked about his thoughts on the incident. He began: "I honestly did not expect George to stick a wheel down the inside in Turn 6 because the corner was completely mine. I was aware of him, and I shouldn't have trusted him in the end. But it happens. Clearly, it's a shame, this completely ruined my race."
"I had little damages on the floor. So we had to prepare something during the pit stop, which took a couple of seconds. But nothing dramatic. I think pace on the medium on the first stint anytime I had free air was good. When we pitted for the soft, I only did two laps, so that felt super quick. You know, during that Lap 1, I was like, okay. I have a shot for the podium, and then was finished."
Hadjar's difficult run continues
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Over the past few weekends, Hadjar has been unlucky for various reasons. He also acknowledged that he needs to qualify better to avoid getting caught up in incidents.
He continued: "Honestly, it's my fault if that happened today, you know, Lap 1 incident because if I had done a better job yesterday, I wouldn't be starting seventh. Maybe we are fighting for the podium, and we don't meet George on the way. And, you know, these things happen. But it's better to maximize your chance at the front. I should have done a better job.
"So it's frustrating now. Malaysia, we had the deployment issue. Singapore, reliability all the time. Austin, terrible start. I was blocked in the wrong map. So everything is lining up, so I have a terrible Sunday at the moment. Once it clicks, it's going to click, and it's going to be nice."
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