Isack Hadjar details 'nightmare' that almost caused Japan qualifying crash

Isack Hadjar has revealed the "nightmare" situation he felt during Japanese Grand Prix qualifying almost led to him crashing out of the session. 

Throughout the first segment at Suzuka, Hadjar was radioing into his Racing Bulls team, complaining of a problem in the cockpit, which the team later confirmed to be with his seatbelts. 

The belt buckle was affecting sensitive parts of Hadjar's body as he made it through to Q2, where the team quickly worked to try to minimise the pain the Frenchman was feeling.

Ultimately, Hadjar wound up seventh on the grid, just 0.014s behind Kimi Antonelli in sixth and ahead of Lewis Hamilton on the fourth row of the grid. 

Reflecting on the uncomfortable position he found himself in, Hadjar revealed how he almost crashed out, as he out-qualified both new team-mate Liam Lawson and Red Bull new boy Yuki Tsunoda, who were both dumped in Q2.

"It was a nightmare, honestly. I am really proud, like the lap I did in Q1 with what I had was unbelievable," he told Sky Sports F1. 

"I realised straightaway [in Q1 that something wasn't right], and I nearly crashed actually, but I am okay. 

"I jumped out and jumped back in [the car and it was okay].

"Q1 and Q2 were okay, but I was still not happy with everything, but every lap, we made a nice improvement with the balance, with the settings and honestly, the car just came alive. 

"That final lap was fantastic and I couldn't have gone much faster. 

"The car is nice to drive and it is predictable, so I'm just having fun and it is efficient, the car is just fast and if it is easy to drive as well, then there are no doubts I can deliver."