After the United States Grand Prix, both Hadjar and Verstappen slammed Red Bull’s execution – did the team really stumble at the worst moment? They were also hampered by two long‑standing issues: faulty radio communication and shaky starts.
“My radio is terrible, I’m flying blind. And every time I drop the clutch, it turns into a nightmare,” Hadjar told the media pen on Sunday night. “Fix those two, and we could already be on the podium. We can nail the hard stuff, yet the simple things escape us.”
When pressed at Mexico’s media day, Hadjar said he’s fully entitled to speak up – exactly the kind of candid driver Red Bull wants – but he might have phrased some remarks more carefully.
“I didn’t really think,” he admitted. “We need honesty, but some comments belong in the locker room. I know that.”
Red Bull later dissected the Texas weekend and confirmed the strategy could have been sharper, a point Hadjar expanded on in Mexico.
“I think, as a team, we weren’t open enough to a one‑stop plan,” the Frenchman said, adding, “In my view, the team missed a simple one‑stop chance.”
“We were convinced the softer tyre would last longer. Perhaps we over‑estimated degradation, and that early choice boxed us into a tough spot.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
That tough spot caused a mix‑up when Hadjar was meant to let Verstappen pass. He hesitated on the long straight to Turn 12, sparking brief frustration, though he insisted it wasn’t intentional – just a symptom of unclear strategy.
“I had good pace on the soft, so I didn’t want to pit early. At the same time, we didn’t want Max to lose time on a different plan,” he explained. “The confusion vanished once everyone adopted the one‑stop, and everyone would have been happy.”
While the lesson can be applied to the rest of the 2026 calendar, Hadjar knows he must accept some of Red Bull’s lingering limits.
Team principal Laurent Mekies said fully fixing the start issue will need hardware changes that won’t arrive this year.
“We keep pushing on that end,” Hadjar said when asked about the inconsistent starts.
“It’s something we’ve been working on. The first few races showed big improvement, but now it’s a bit up and down. We’re aware and will make do with what we have until year‑end.”
“The good news is the hard work on track – we’re already fast. The so‑called ‘silly’ things are actually crucial little details we need to nail. That’s it.”
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– The Team