Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has voiced concern that Isack Hadjar’s crash in Miami could trigger a downward “spiral” in form.
Hadjar endured a difficult weekend in Miami, struggling to match team-mate Max Verstappen in each of the competitive sessions.
Both sprint qualifying and grand prix qualifying at the Miami International Autodrome saw Verstappen establish a sizeable gap over Hadjar, in stark contrast to the Frenchman’s form during the opening rounds.
Chandhok has expressed concern over Hadjar’s dip in form, particularly as it came immediately after the car received a substantial upgrade.
“What is telling for me is we got to Japan, Hadjar and Verstappen were nip and tuck,” Chandhok told Sky F1.
“And we all thought 'that's a bit odd at Suzuka, Max Verstappen circuit. What's going on here?'
“But I feel like as soon as the car has improved, that envelope performance has gone forward, and they're suddenly chasing the front rows and pole positions, we're back to that eight or nine tenths.”
In Sunday's race, Hadjar crashed on lap six after clipping the inside wall at Turn 15, which broke his steering column before he careered into the outside barrier.
Chandhok has voiced hope that Hadjar will bounce back from the incident, rather than slip further away from Verstappen and mirror the performance struggles of previous second drivers at the team.
“And I feel bad for Hadjar because that lap five shunt is not what he would have wanted,” he said.
“He needed mileage to just get a bit of confidence back.
“I hope that this isn't the beginning of the spiral for him, like we saw with the previous five, six team-mates.
“That eight, nine-tenths gap was back again.”
Originally published by RacingNews365 —
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