Hadjar: "I'm too 'critical' of myself"

Isack Hadjar is in 11th place in the drivers' standings with 22 points after 13 races.

Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, Hadjar said he had been told to "lift his spirits" despite his good results this season: "If you've made it to F1, it's no coincidence, so you know you're at a good level."

"But at the same time, you always have doubts and you always ask yourself: 'Am I really good enough?' That's what I thought. I hadn't had much track time, and moving to F1 was a big step. But now I'm totally used to the speed, and I'm not surprised how quickly I adapted to F1."

"I think I always had speed and talent. I also had great support from Helmut. He kept believing in me and gave me a second chance, and I took it."

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls

Photo: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

"Mental toughness was important, of course, but you also need to have strong people around you who believe in you. I had people around me who really believed in me. That's why I was able to get back on my feet."

"Sometimes, even if I get a very good result, I don't congratulate myself much when I know I could have done more on the track. I'm too critical of myself."

"But I'll tell you this: If I've done a really good job and I'm happy with myself, I'm the one who's the happiest, the most crazy. But that's very rare."