Isack Hadjar says Red Bull can try to use its numbers advantage to beat polesitter and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli at the United States Grand Prix, after recovering from a "disaster" start to the weekend.
The French-Algerian driver ended up just 0.036 seconds behind team-mate Max Verstappen and 0.215s off Antonelli's pole time at the Circuit of the Americas, and said a big push on set-up had transformed the car.
Hadjar will line up third on the starting grid behind Antonelli and Verstappen, and alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in fourth.
"It's been a disaster of a weekend for me," Hadjar explained in the post-qualifying press conference. "I've had all my lap times deleted all the time. This morning, I could not complete a single lap on the soft tyres.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP via Getty Images
"I knew there was something in the car because there were times when I could do half a lap and I felt comfortable, but I could never finish it. But in that qualifying, the car really came alive a bit more for me. We really dug deep on the set-up. We tried so many things this weekend, and it really paid off.
"So, on that note, it's really, really satisfying. But I'm a bit gutted, not too much about the last lap, but more about the first attempt in Q3, because yes, the track was worse on that final lap and it wasn’t a great lap, but it was the same for everyone.
"On that first lap, I really felt like I lost so much time with that massive tailwind I got, and I felt like there was a bit more today. But yeah, I'm happy with the comeback, let's say."
When asked if he thinks he can challenge Antonelli for the win in the grand prix tomorrow, Hadjar pointed to the power of having two Red Bull cars in second and third.
"It's the two of us, so it's a bit of an advantage. So we'll try and use that," Hadjar said.
The United States Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 25 October.