Isack Hadjar calls for a “rework” of the Red Bull clutch following a detrimental start at the US GP.
Isack Hadjar has urged Red Bull to revamp the clutch system in their vehicle, following a sluggish start from third on the grid that derailed his United States Grand Prix.
The French driver managed to bounce back from what he termed a “disastrous” weekend to secure a spot on the second row at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing just 0.036 seconds behind his teammate Max Verstappen. However, he fell to fifth place during the initial lap, as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both maneuvered their Ferraris past him, ultimately crossing the line in a disappointing sixth.
McLaren's Lando Norris also overtook him on his way to fifth, leaving Hadjar far from the podium contention he had aimed for after a strong performance on Saturday, when he noted that having two Red Bulls at the front was “a bit of an advantage.”
In an interview with Sky Sports F1 after reviewing a replay of his start, Hadjar maintained that he had executed everything correctly.
“You know, I carry out the procedure perfectly, and then I just face issues with the clutch delivery. These aspects are simply beyond my control. It's starting to frustrate me, you know.”
The difficulties didn’t end there for the driver. Hadjar mentioned that he had trouble hearing his engineers over the radio and rejoined the track with the incorrect settings post-pitstop.
“And then there’s poor radio communication. I can’t make out what’s going on in the pits. I exited the pits with the wrong map.”
He estimated that this cost him about a second per lap on the hard tyres.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Red Bull has faced start issues earlier this season. When asked if the team had provided any explanation about the problem, Hadjar simply responded “No,” before voicing his demand.
“It requires a redesign. That’s all. The clutch needs a redesign because right now it’s too weak. It’s not handling temperatures well. Yeah, it’s a real challenge.”
This season has been particularly vexing for Hadjar, who missed races at Zandvoort, Monza, and Madrid due to a wrist injury sustained during training in the summer break, arriving in Austin after a weekend in Singapore where he lamented “a failure in each session.”
Red Bull has already demonstrated confidence in him by extending his contract until the end of 2027 ahead of his comeback in Azerbaijan.
His teammate had a slightly better outing in Austin, finishing third with a two-stop strategy, ending his streak of two consecutive wins, and conceded that the team's overall speed was “not good enough” while attributing his podium result to a well-timed VSC.
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