One Red Bull F1 youngster bounces back after "horrific day" at Monaco GP

Isack Hadjar says he “left some time out there” after qualifying fifth for the Monaco Grand Prix, three places behind Red Bull Formula 1 team-mate Max Verstappen.

The Frenchman had been on the back foot since a heavy crash in FP1 cost him track time and knocked his confidence.

However, a strong run in Q2 saw him as high as third.

Subsequently, his form fell away in the crucial Q3 session, and he dropped a couple of places on the final grid.

“Definitely mixed feelings,” said the Frenchman.

“I think it was a very good comeback, but at the same time qualifying was too messy, and we did too many mistakes.

“Not the best way to build for Q3, and I left some time out there.

"In Q3 [first run] we had just a bad feeling with the car, and I went slower than in Q2, so you go into Q3 [the final run] with this as your last reference, and it's not the best way to approach it.

“I was five tenths off the guys ahead, so to make a big step was very, very demanding."

At the start of Q1, Hadjar had complained to the team about how his out lap had unfolded.

“Traffic and tyres, so yeah, we started off on the wrong foot.

“I was a second off Max, and then in Q2, you do a good warm-up, and then you're back in the fight.

“I haven't done enough laps with the same car, and this is costly at the end.”

Hadjar confirmed that in qualifying he was still paying the price for the track time lost in his FP1 accident.

“I mean, I think I missed more than half a session. FP2, my car was repaired, and my confidence needed rebuilding, and just a horrific day.

“But I made the most of FP3 this morning, and honestly, damage limitation, so I did well.”

He remains hopeful that he can make progress from P5 and potentially take advantage of some action ahead.

“Yeah, I mean, especially with the differences in start performance we've seen this year, we could see some attempts in Turn 1. Hopefully, we're in the mix.”