Isack Hadjar will start the inaugural Singapore Formula 1 Sprint Race from ninth, following a difficult day with what he described as an ‘undriveable’ RB22.
It was a tale of two Fridays for Red Bull Racing, as Max Verstappen sailed to his first pole position in Singapore. Meanwhile, Hadjar struggled to find the pace needed to match his team-mate, initially finishing sixth. But after a track limits violation saw his lap time deleted, the Frenchman found himself down in ninth.
Despite the less-than-ideal Saturday start for Hadjar, the 22-year-old explained that his day before qualifying seemed positive.
“What seemed like a good start to the day turned into very poor performance,” Hadjar revealed.
“I felt very comfortable straight away in FP1 on the hard compound, but that was it really.”
The Red Bull driver explained that qualifying was a struggle for him as his car felt completely different to earlier in the day.
“I never got to have a good lap really, just fighting with the car, engine issues on the last run. I was just struggling. It was just weird.”
When asked if the Soft tyre compound hindered his performance throughout SQ3 in particular, Hadjar ended speculation.
“The soft feels like a huge step compared to the medium compound, a lot more grip. It didn’t really matter anyway; all the others were on the soft as well,” he said.
The two-time podium sitter in 2026 offered a harsh overview of the car heading into the first race of the weekend.
“I just don’t think it’s drivable right now.”
Hadjar will start the race from the fifth row, aiming to capitalise on the expected Marina Bay chaos, to help Red bull’s bid to beat McLaren in the Constructors Championship.
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