"I was in no man's land," claims Hadjar after his lonely race in Silverstonee

Isack Hadjar believes Red Bull had the potential for an even stronger result at the British Grand Prix despite securing fifth place, with the French rookie admitting he left Silverstone feeling encouraged by his growing confidence in the RB22.

It proved to be a race of contrasting fortunes for Red Bull. Hadjar's first battle came against teammate Max Verstappen, who recovered after the opening laps to move ahead as the reigning world champion demonstrated superior race pace.

Verstappen then joined the fight with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for the final podium position, benefiting from Russell's slow puncture and Hamilton's five-second penalty for a false start.

However, Verstappen's race ended in disappointment when a rear wing issue prevented the DRS mechanism from operating correctly, causing him to spin into retirement in the closing stages.

Hadjar, meanwhile, stayed out of trouble and brought home fifth place after a measured drive. Although he briefly challenged the leading group during the opening stint, he was unable to match the pace of Lando Norris after switching onto the hard tyres.

Reflecting on his afternoon, Hadjar was pleased with the points haul but believed there was more on offer: "Ultimately, I can be happy with the result," he said. "P5 is solid points for the Team, but I felt we could've had more."

The 21-year-old was particularly satisfied with his pace during the opening and closing phases of the race. However, the middle phase of the Grand Prix proved far more difficult after the switch to the hard compound.

"My pace at the start was good, and we finished strongly as well. We got off the line well and I stayed with Max in the first stint," stated Hadjar.

"After pitting onto the Hard we struggled and I couldn't find the grip to stay close to Lando. Throughout that middle stint I was in no man's land, so it was a little boring for me."

A front wing adjustment during the race helped restore the balance Hadjar had enjoyed earlier in the afternoon: "We lost time with changing the front wing, but it took our pace back to where it was at the start and I could really push."

Like several drivers, Hadjar was denied the opportunity to attack in the closing stages when the race finished behind the Safety Car.

"It's a shame that we couldn't have that last lap as I had such a good feeling in the car to go out and really attack the cars ahead."

Despite narrowly missing out on a shot at fourth place, Hadjar left Silverstone encouraged by the progress he has made with the car over the course of the weekend.

"Overall, I've felt comfortable in the car all weekend and feel like I've got on top of the package which is good going forwards," concluded the Frenchman.