Hadjar Struggles with 'Undriveable' RB22 in Austin Practice

Isack Hadjar faced a nightmare second practice session in Austin, labeling his Red Bull RB22 "undriveable." A botched setup change between sessions led to severe tire degradation, leaving the rookie struggling to find grip and falling significantly behind his teammate.

Why it matters:

For a driver in a Red Bull seat, the gap to Max Verstappen is the ultimate benchmark. Finishing nearly a second off the pace in a single session highlights the extreme sensitivity of the RB22's setup. This struggle underscores the difficulty of balancing the 2026-spec car on a demanding circuit like COTA, where tire management and chassis compliance are critical for qualifying success.

The Details:

• Performance Gap: Hadjar finished the session in P9, trailing Verstappen (P3) by a substantial 0.931s.
• Tire Degradation: The issues were most prominent on the soft compound. Hadjar reported that the front tires overheated during the high-speed corners of Sector 1, rendering the car unstable for the remainder of the lap.
• Setup Failure: Technical Director Pierre Wache admitted the team moved in the "wrong direction" with Hadjar's setup between FP1 and FP2, resulting in a massive loss of performance.
• Chassis Issues: Wache noted that the RB22 is struggling with the bumps at COTA. He mentioned that the current setup lacks the necessary compliance, causing the car to "jump" excessively over the track's uneven surfaces.

What's next:

Red Bull engineers are working overnight to undo the problematic setup changes and revert the car to the level seen in the morning session. The primary focus remains on optimizing low-speed performance, which Wache identified as the key to unlocking the RB22's potential at this circuit. Hadjar must now recover his confidence and stabilize the car's balance ahead of Saturday's qualifying session.