Hadjar wants to "manage expectations" at Monza

Hot on the heels of his maiden F1 podium, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar admitted that he intends to "manage expectations" ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Isack Hajdar endured a tough start to last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix as he was forced to park up his car on his first lap in Friday's second practice session.

However, the Paris-born driver managed to bounce back on Saturday, delivering an eye-catching lap in the closing stages of qualifying to secure his best starting position with a fourth place.

The Frenchman's pace did not fade in the race, and he was on course to maintain his starting positon. However, Lando Norris' retirement meant that the Racing Bulls driver made it onto the rostrum, securing his maiden F1 podium.

Ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, Hadjar admitted that his target will be to keep the expectations in check after the impressive result at Zandvoort.

"It’s very good to be back racing a few days after such a strong result last week. Being in Monza, at one of our home races, it’s special for us. There’s a lot of confidence within the team, but we also want to manage our expectations and be focused.

"It might be challenging as it’s a track with a lot of straight lines, but it will be important for us to be in the game so that we can aim for another great result," the Frenchman concluded.

His team-mate Liam Lawson also managed to progress into the final segment of qualifying last time out at Zandvoort. The Kiwi also delivered a great performance in the early stages of the race, capitalizing on his car's unexpectedly strong pace at the challenging Dutch circuit.

However, Lawson lost out as a result of the three safety car periods, and crossed the line down in P12 which meant that he was unable to convert his starting position and race pace into a points-paying spot.

“It’s very exciting to be part of the second home race for the team this year, bouncing off a huge weekend for the team with Isack on the podium," started Lawson his preview ahead of the Monza weekend.

"The car has been very fast recently, which is really positive, so I’m excited to take that momentum forwards. Monza is a track which we’ve all raced on growing up. It has a lot of history, so it’s going to be great to return," concluded Lawson.