Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar left the 2026 F1 Austrian GP pleased with the performance of the team’s upgrade package, as the Frenchman finished P6. Having qualified P8, he fought his way through the field to extend his points-scoring streak for four consecutive races.
Despite teammate Max Verstappen finishing on the podium, Hadjar was encouraged by their race pace and leaves the team’s home race pleased with a positive weekend.
Speaking in the print media zone after the race, the Frenchman reflected on his day, saying: “I don’t remember a race in my career where I fought with the big boys like the Ferrari, the McLaren, so that was good fun.
“It was a first, and I think we succeeded quite well, but if we had started a bit further up the grid, if it wasn’t for deployment issues, I think it was fourth place in the locker. So that’s positive.”
Hadjar: Red Bull “had the second quickest car” in 2026 F1 Austrian GP
With many drivers struggling to manage their tyres during the race, the Red Bull driver admitted he lacked the confidence to attack but believed it was an issue affecting the entire field, not just himself.
“Yeah, quite a few lock-ups, very poor confidence, I had to take some margin each lap. But I felt that struggle for everyone around me, I was not alone. I think it could be track specific, hot track temperatures, the tyres felt very poor.”
When asked about his thoughts on the effectiveness of the team’s upgrades. “I think I definitely feel it in the race pace, I think today we had the second quickest car,” he admitted.
Feeling that the team has taken a step forward in matching race pace with their qualifying pace, he said it is an encouraging step ahead of the Sprint weekend at Silverstone this week.
“Usually we struggle more with the race pace than qualifying pace, this weekend was more equal, so very good on that aspect. So yeah, you do feel it, but I feel like the car was in the right window and still like that, it’s fast, so it’s encouraging.”
Upgrades “very encouraging” but still not on par with Mercedes yet
“No, I mean, no it was just cool, but nothing that I necessarily learned,” Hadjar said as he reflected on his battles with several drivers. While he thinks he might have been slightly too cautious in his fight with Lewis Hamilton after the Brit fitted softs, he believes he put up a good fight.
“Maybe I was a bit too kind with Lewis into Turn 4, I remember, but apart from that I think I fought pretty well.”
While Red Bull’s first upgrade package in Miami closed the gap to their competitors, Hadjar believes there is still room for improvement and more one-lap pace to find in order to match Mercedes. However, after a P6 finish, he said the team’s competitiveness at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP was an encouraging sign moving forward.
“Yeah, I mean, we had the first update in Miami, did a big step forward. Now we did a nice step in the race. On one lap we’re still not like Mercedes, I think they’re still flying, but very encouraging.”
