Isack Hadjar Frustrated by Gearbox Failure in Singapore Qualifying

Isack Hadjar's weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit took a turn for the worse when a gearbox malfunction left him unable to complete a timed lap in Qualifying. The French driver expressed his frustration with Red Bull's reliability, finding himself starting Sunday’s Grand Prix from the very back.

Hadjar's recent sessions have been plagued by mechanical issues. A battery problem cost him a potential podium in Malaysia, and a separate failure led to his retirement from the Singapore Sprint. His hope to showcase his speed in Qualifying was dashed when his car lost power, forcing him to crawl back to the pits. "The engine is off," he reported over the radio, a phrase that signaled the end of his Qualifying effort.

Despite initial optimism after a decent start to the session, Hadjar was left disappointed. "I felt nice in Sector 1," he reflected, "until in Turn 8 I broke the gearbox, basically. That’s it." He admitted it was futile to continue but wanted to avoid stopping on track, so he limped back to the garage.

The frustration was palpable as Hadjar lamented, "I’m just craving to be out there on track, driving and doing my best. Now I’m really, really frustrated, because we’ve had issues in every session but FP1." However, he remains determined to make the most of race day. "I’m going to give my best," he said, recalling that Carlos Sainz managed a top-ten finish from 18th last year. "I still want to push and bring points."

While Hadjar battled with mechanical misfortune, his teammate Max Verstappen had a more fruitful outing, securing his 50th career pole position. This contrast highlighted Red Bull's competitive edge at the front, despite their reliability hiccups.

Team Principal Laurent Mekies took responsibility for Hadjar's misfortune, acknowledging the importance of Qualifying at a circuit like Singapore where overtaking is notoriously difficult. "We need to send a good apology to Isack," Mekies said. "We didn’t give him any chance to express his speed this weekend."

Mekies explained that the weekend had been particularly frustrating, with a power unit issue in the Sprint and the gearbox problem in Qualifying. "It’s so frustrating because it’s one of the races where Qualifying position is particularly important," he noted, but assured that the team would fight alongside Hadjar to recover positions and aim for points on race day.