Battery Woes Cost Isack Hadjar Podium in Sepang

Isack Hadjar was on track for a podium finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia before a critical battery failure in the closing laps relegated him to P5. Despite a strong recovery from a penalized P8 start, the Red Bull driver's race was marred by inconsistent grip and technical glitches that neutralized his early strategic advantage.

Why it matters:

Hadjar has established himself as a driver with exceptionally high standards, and this result highlights the fragile margin between a trophy and a disappointment in the 2026 season. While the Red Bull-Ford partnership is celebrating its first win of the year, Hadjar's struggle underscores the ongoing volatility of the new power unit's energy deployment and chassis stability under race conditions.

The Details:

• Strategic Gain: Hadjar capitalized on a chaotic start by opting for intermediate tires while four competitors started on slicks, quickly climbing the order.
• Performance Dip: After reaching P4 by Lap 6, Hadjar reported a mysterious loss of pace, noting he was unexpectedly slower than the Mercedes cars he had outperformed throughout the weekend.
• The Collapse: Following George Russell's retirement, Hadjar moved into P3. However, a battery depletion immediately after the final restart left him defenseless on the straights.
• Final Result: Without electrical deployment, he was swiftly overtaken by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, finishing P5.

The Big Picture:

While Max Verstappen's victory marked a historic milestone for the Red Bull and Ford collaboration, Hadjar's experience serves as a cautionary tale. The discrepancy between his qualifying pace and race-day grip, combined with the late-stage battery failure, suggests that the RB22 still faces reliability hurdles that could hinder Hadjar's ability to consistently challenge for the podium.

What's next:

Hadjar is now shifting his focus to the Singapore Grand Prix, where he hopes to resolve the chassis and power unit issues. For Red Bull, the priority will be diagnosing why the battery failed during the critical restart phase to ensure Hadjar can convert his raw speed into a podium finish.