Isack Hadjar expressed his disdain for F1 Sprint Races after a difficult Singapore GP, claiming that they require drivers to ‘get lucky’.
The Singapore Grand Prix was an uphill battle for the young Red Bull driver. From too much bottoming in the sole Free Practice session to power unit failures, Hadjar spent the weekend battling his RB22. The Frenchman suffered a retirement in the Sprint, while the Grand Prix saw him finish P10.
“That’s the problem with these weekends where you don’t get to work on the car,” Hadjar said after qualifying in Singapore.”
Discourse around Sprint Races has continued since their introduction, with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali insisting they bring entertainment to the screen. However, both fans and drivers have not been particularly fond of the concept, especially under the 2026 regulations.
With a sole practice session before a strong performance is needed in Sprint Qualification and the Sprint, it leaves little room for drivers and teams to gather necessary data and adjust accordingly.
“Like, it’s impossible. You just kind of need to get lucky. There’s no work,” Hadjar continued. “I guess it’s not entertaining for people to watch us do a lot of tests, but it’s important to us, and now…
“The car was handling terribly. I was excited for today to see what the change brought; I was excited to see what I could do with the engine that was working fine, and I don’t get to do it. It’s hard to learn anything on weekends like that.”
Hadjar critical of Sprint weekends
As Hadjar stated, learning becomes difficult during a Sprint weekend. Another problem is how much, or how little, drivers are willing to risk in the Sprint, since they must be ready for Grand Prix qualifying only a few hours later. As a strong Grand Prix finish secures significantly more points than a Sprint, the priority is clear.
Despite this, F1 continues to add Sprints to the calendar, with the 2027 season featuring 10 Sprint weekends. One of them is at the historic Monaco track, where overtaking is nearly impossible in the modern era of F1.
When asked whether the format added anything to the race weekend, the Frenchman was unsure whether Sprints were worthwhile.
“Maybe it rewards the people that don’t really work really well. Maybe. I just don’t like it. I used to, last year. But actually, when you grow up a bit, you have a tough teammate next to you, you get the work going and… I don’t like the sprint anymore.
“I don’t know who makes these decisions. Next year, we have a sprint race in Monaco. How in the world do you think that’s going to happen? What do you think is going to happen? Do you think it’s going to be overtakes?”
After a journalist replied with a simple no to his questions, Hadjar continued. “So why are we doing it? It’s just very disappointing, and there are more and more of them.”
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