(Motorsport-Total.com) – The qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix painted a clear picture at Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen secured second place on the grid, while teammate Isack Hadjar only managed ninth – with a hefty 0.825 seconds gap.
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But Hadjar makes it clear: This result does not reflect the actual performance difference. “It’s not just pure pace,” emphasizes the Frenchman. In fact, the gap between the two never exceeded five tenths in the first three races of the season.
The unusually large delta in Miami is therefore more of an outlier than a realistic balance of power – at least from the perspective of the Red Bull newcomer.
Problem area Miami: Low grip, high temperatures
Hadjar cites the special conditions on the street circuit in Miami as the main reason. “It is a very difficult track with low grip and high temperatures,” he explains. These exact factors gave him particular trouble.
While Verstappen is known for quickly adapting to changing conditions, Hadjar found it significantly harder. “Max is just very good at adjusting to such conditions,” he admits.
The consequence: Small mistakes added up over the lap – ultimately leading to the large gap.
Chain of errors: It all starts in turn 1
A decisive moment, according to Hadjar, was already at the beginning of his fast lap. “I didn’t hit turn 1 properly – and then turns 2 and 3 were compromised as well,” he explains.
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This chain reaction caused the tires to be more heavily stressed and to lose performance as the lap progressed. Added to this were drivability problems and a disadvantage on the straights.
It was precisely this mix of small inaccuracies and technical limitations that made it impossible for him to exploit the full potential.
Verstappen as the benchmark: “He put everything together perfectly”
Despite all explanations, Hadjar remains realistic in his assessment of his teammate. “Max just put everything together perfectly,” he says appreciatively.
While Hadjar struggled with individual problems, Verstappen managed to drive an almost flawless lap and extract the maximum from the car. According to experts, this is the decisive difference.
Even though Hadjar sees progress – especially compared to the previous day – Verstappen currently remains the clear reference in the team. Despite the disappointing result, Hadjar also draws positive aspects from qualifying. “When I look at the data, I am satisfied with what I did,” he explains.
Part of the gap is due to factors he could not control, another part to driving details. This is exactly what he now wants to work on.