Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar says his Formula 1 United States Grand Prix has been “a disaster” despite qualifying third on the grid for Sunday’s race at COTA.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit comes to COTA off the back of a brace of victories in Malaysia and Singapore for Max Verstappen, as well as a 2-3 in Azerbaijan.
That speed has continued into the COTA weekend, with Verstappen second in qualifying and Isack Hadjar just behind him in third.
But the French driver has struggled with track limits, which put him on the back foot coming into qualifying.
Isack Hadjar, 2026 F1 US Grand Prix. Credit: XPB.
© XPB Images
“I mean, it's been a disaster of a weekend for me,” he said.
“I've had all my lap times deleted all the time.
“This morning, I could not complete a single lap on the soft tyres.
“So, yeah, I knew there was something in the car because there were times where I could do half a lap and I felt comfortable, but I could never finish it.
“But in that qualifying, the car really came alive a bit more for me.
Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad
“We really dug deep on the set-up. We tried so many things this weekend, and it really paid off.
“So, on that note, it's really, really satisfying.
“But I'm a bit gutted, not too much about the last lap, but more about the first attempt in Q3, because yes, the track was worse on that final lap and it wasn’t a great lap, but it was the same for everyone.
“On that first lap, I really felt like I lost so much time with that massive tailwind I got, and I felt like there was a bit more today.
“But yeah, I'm happy with the comeback, let's say.”
Red Bull sent its drivers out on used tyres in Q2 at COTA, though Hadjar doesn’t think this necessarily hindered him much in Q3 when he went back to fresh rubber.
“I think it's just that it's also a track where the used tyre works quite well in the end, so there's less of a penalty for putting less new tyres in the car.
“But of course, if I had put, like, I believe if five sets of tyres back-to-back-to-back, it would have been maybe a bit better, but I don't think there's much in it.”
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