Hadjar Struggles with 'Undrivable' Red Bull as Verstappen Claims Singapore Sprint Pole

Isack Hadjar’s Singapore weekend took a sharp turn for the worse during Sprint Qualifying. While Max Verstappen masterfully navigated the RB22 to pole position, Hadjar found himself wrestling with a car he described as "undrivable," ultimately qualifying ninth and trailing his teammate by nearly nine-tenths of a second.

Why it matters:

The disparity in performance reveals a precarious operating window for Red Bull's 2026 package on street circuits. When the championship leader can extract a pole-position lap from a car that his teammate finds unstable, it suggests the RB22 requires a highly specific, perhaps unconventional, driving style to overcome its inherent flaws. For Hadjar, this gap creates an immediate psychological and technical hurdle in establishing himself as a consistent top-tier contributor.

The details:

• The Performance Gap: Hadjar qualified ninth, 0.892 seconds slower than Verstappen's benchmark before a track-limits violation nullified his best effort.
• Tire Sensitivity: The struggle was compound-specific. Hadjar showed early promise in FP1, finishing fourth on hard tires, but his pace collapsed upon switching to mediums and softs.
• Technical Hurdles: Hadjar reported excessive bottoming during braking and suffered engine issues during his final run, contributing to his loss of confidence in the machinery.
• Verstappen's Edge: Despite acknowledging that Singapore highlights "a few little weaknesses" in the car, Verstappen was able to adapt and drive around these limitations to secure the top spot.

Between the lines:

Verstappen's description of his pole as "unexpected" suggests that even the team's benchmark driver isn't entirely comfortable with the car's current state. However, the fact that Hadjar felt the car was not "drivable" indicates a critical disconnect in setup or adaptation. While Max can mask the RB22's deficiencies, Hadjar is currently exposed by them, highlighting a significant gap in how the two drivers are interpreting the car's limit.

What's next:

Red Bull now faces a race against time to synchronize the setups before the main event. The team must determine if Hadjar's struggles are a result of specific component failures—such as the reported engine issues—or a fundamental mismatch between the driver and the car's current aerodynamic balance. Hadjar's ability to recover from ninth in the sprint will be a key indicator of his resilience under pressure.