Isack Hadjar Reflects on Challenging Singapore Sprint Qualifying

While Max Verstappen secured pole position in the Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar had a tougher time, finishing in ninth place. The French driver experienced a frustrating session, which he described as turning from a promising start into a "very poor performance."

Hadjar's initial confidence from a solid FP1 run quickly evaporated. He found himself struggling with a car that he described as not "driveable" after his lap time in SQ3 was deleted for exceeding track limits. Reflecting on his performance, Hadjar said, "It's just what seemed like a good start of the day turned into really a very poor performance. I felt very comfortable straight away in FP1 but on the hard compound, and that was it, really. I never got to have a good lap, really."

The 22-year-old driver also mentioned engine issues on his final run, adding to his woes. "I'm just fighting with the car," he said, noting the odd behavior of the vehicle throughout the session. Despite not using the soft tyre in practice, Hadjar didn't initially feel off the pace when switching to it for the qualifying. However, he acknowledged the challenge, saying, "The soft definitely feels like a huge step to the medium compound. There was a lot more grip, but it didn't really matter anyway – all the other guys were on the soft as well. I just don't feel like it's driveable right now."

Hadjar's difficulties stood in stark contrast to Verstappen's success, as the latter continued his strong form following a recent victory in Malaysia. For Hadjar, it was a day to forget, with hopes of better performance in the upcoming races.