“ I almost crushed myself.

No one had a more painful Japanese Grand Prix qualification session than the Bulls Racing Isack Hadjar Formula 1 recruit, who says he was almost crushed due to a seat belt problem.

Hadjar fought with poorly adapted safety belts throughout the first quarter, expressing discomfort and frustration towards the team, having had a similar problem in final training.

He still produced a solid final effort in the first trimester which was almost three tenths faster than the teammate of the Bulls, Liam Lawson, to pass comfortably in T2 before his belts were adjusted.

“It was a nightmare, guy. I just passed,” Hadjar told Sky Sports F1 after the qualifications.

“Honestly, I’m really proud of the Tour I did in the first trimester with what I had, incredible!

“I realized in turn 3 and I said to myself:” Ok it’s not okay “, I almost crushed myself.

“What a trip!”

The racing bulls obtained Hadjar to jump from the car after the first trimester and to reset his seat belts when he jumped for the start of the second quarter, solving the problem.

He progressed in the third quarter and equaled the seventh place in which he qualified for the Chinese GP – which means that he was again the faster racing bull pilot.

“Each round we have made, we have made a good improvement with balance, the parameters. And honestly, the car has just lived for this last round,” added Hadjar.

“It was a fantastic turn to be honest, I couldn’t have gone much faster.”

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Hadjar benefits from the user-friendly elements of VCARB02 which combine with a configuration approach which specifically aims to give a coherent pilot platform for recruits.

“I’m really comfortable, the car is just pleasant to drive, quite predictable, honestly, I have fun and it’s just effective, the car is just fast,” said Hadjar.

“So if it’s easy to drive, I can undoubtedly deliver.”

The Peak window can be more accessible than a Red Bull, but Hadjar is still doing the job and has joined Verstappen in the Red Bull Overachieving pilot camp in Suzuka.