Hadjar says pace was there despite Singapore struggle

Isack Hadjar says his difficult Singapore weekend did not reflect his actual pace, insisting he was quick enough to fight much further forward.

The Red Bull driver started from the pitlane after technical problems but recovered to tenth, while Max Verstappen won.

"It didn’t start very well," he told Canal Plus, "but then I found my rhythm."

"With the softs, the pace was really solid, I had a lot of fun overtaking."

Hadjar believes the speed was strong enough for far more than a single point.

"It’s frustrating because I know that with the pace I had today we could have had a good qualifying session and been in contention for the podium," said the Frenchman.

"I would have liked to have used that speed to fight for a win," he later told reporters.

"On that soft tyre I knew I could still find speed, but I didn’t think I would be that fast."

Hadjar said the priority now is fixing the reliability and setup problems that have followed him since Malaysia.

"I’ve been desperately looking for a car that’s working with me a little bit since Malaysia so I can fight for a win," he said.

"At the moment, that is not possible. We now need to reset and understand what happened."

"We have to make sure we get back to Austin and fight for podiums."

His comments come after Toto Wolff said in Singapore that, as Red Bull’s car has improved for Verstappen, the old pattern of the second driver struggling now seems to be returning.

Hadjar, though, clearly believes the underlying speed is there.

"The goal is 2027," said the 22-year-old, whose Red Bull seat was recently confirmed by the team for next year.

"All the mistakes we need to make, we’ll make them now, and we’ll be ready later."