The Dutchman acknowledged that his teammate's tow was key to his position. Hadjar, who started from the back due to a penalty, considered it was "the right thing to do."
Max Verstappen has thanked his teammate Isack Hadjar for the help he provided during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutchman acknowledged that the Frenchman's tow was key to securing second position on the starting grid, behind Kimi Antonelli: "Without him, I probably wouldn't be here" declared Verstappen after the session.
Hadjar, who started from the back of the grid due to a 20-place penalty for changing multiple power unit components, decided to sacrifice his own qualifying to help his teammate. On both Q3 laps, the Frenchman slowed down at Stavelot and gave Verstappen a tow all the way to the final chicane: "I don't know if I really helped him to be second, probably, but he drove very well and he would have been at the front anyway, but giving him that bonus was definitely the right thing to do. I'm happy for the team, happy for him," said Hadjar.
Verstappen set a time of 1m44.678s, three tenths behind Antonelli (1m44.361s), and highlighted the team's work: "He definitely helped me, if not I wouldn't be here. I think without him I would be in sixth position. Isack, knowing he would start from the back of the grid, did a really good job giving me a tow in the last sector, that's why we're here" explained the Dutchman.
The four time world champion was satisfied with the RB22's performance at Spa-Francorchamps: "The car has been quite decent throughout the weekend, of course not at Kimi's level, but we are happy to be on the front row with the way we executed as a team" he stated.
Verstappen trusts that the RB22 can be competitive in Sunday's race, although he acknowledges that Antonelli and Mercedes have superior pace: "Tomorrow I will surely look in my mirrors at the people around me, but at least today we had a very good result" he added.
Red Bull's strategy of using Hadjar to give Verstappen a tow is a common practice in Formula 1, but it is still a sign of the teamwork that exists within the Austrian team. Hadjar, despite his penalty, has shown his commitment to the team and his willingness to sacrifice his own result to help his teammate.
Sunday's race promises to be exciting with Verstappen on the front row and Hadjar having to fight back from the back of the grid. The Dutchman hopes that the RB22 can stand up to Mercedes and that he can fight for victory on the Belgian track.
