Red Bull Concedes F1 Singapore GP Was a 'Nightmare' for Isack Hadjar

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies didn't mince words as he described Isack Hadjar's experience at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix as a "nightmare." Despite a weekend riddled with reliability issues, Hadjar managed to claw his way to a 10th-place finish, a testament to his perseverance amid adversity.

If there was any luck for Hadjar in Singapore, it was of the unfortunate variety. The weekend followed the alternate sprint format, with Hadjar clocking the eighth-fastest time in the sole practice session and securing a top 10 starting spot for the sprint race. However, his run was cut short by a power unit failure just two laps in, and a gearbox problem later thwarted his qualifying efforts.

In stark contrast, Max Verstappen, piloting the sister car, enjoyed a flawless weekend, clinching pole positions and victories in both the Sprint and Grand Prix races.

"We had a pretty horrific weekend on Isack’s side of the garage," Mekies admitted. "We basically didn’t give him any chance to do any competitive laps before the main race on Sunday. We faced a host of mechanical issues, ranging from the power unit to the gearbox, and other glitches, making it a truly nightmarish weekend."

Mekies commended the team for rallying together to prepare Hadjar's car for qualifying, noting the collaborative efforts of both Hadjar's and Verstappen's crews. "In that context, the crew, not only Isack’s crew, but also Max’s crew, helped under the car, changing massive components all weekend long, up to Sunday morning in parc ferme before the race start — not exactly ideal conditions in the heat and humidity of a triple-header finale. So, huge congratulations to the crew for their efforts," Mekies said.

Mekies emphasized there was no negative judgment on Hadjar’s performance, acknowledging the problems were beyond the driver's control. "We missed the chance to see Isack’s speed here, so we owe him one," he reflected. "In the race, starting last and spending most of it in traffic, he still showed very strong pace. This only confirmed that he would likely have been up there in the top rankings. So, it’s on us, but he certainly showed us he had the speed with the laps he did on Sunday."