Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar left Qualifying at Round 16 of the 2026 F1 season in Malaysia believing there was still more performance on the table after several issues hampered his chances of challenging the top two, with Max Verstappen securing pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second.
Despite finishing Qualifying in third, a five-place grid penalty for a seventh internal combustion engine (ICE) sees Hadjar starting further down the grid for tomorrow’s race. Fresh off his podium finish in Baku, the Frenchman has returned strongly from a wrist injury that sidelined him for two race weekends, continuing to impress in the second Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen.
“Not really” happy despite P3 finish
Speaking in the post-Qualifying press conference, Hadjar believed a P2 finish was within reach but admitted he felt underprepared heading into the session.
“Second, I would say, you know, anything I can take to limit tomorrow’s penalty,” Hadjar said when asked whether he felt he could have finished further up the order. “Yeah, I just think I just feel like it’s the first weekend that even after three free practice sessions, I feel like I need a bit more mileage because the laps are so limited here with the big tyre degradation.”
As one of several drivers tackling the Sepang International Circuit for the first time, Hadjar highlighted the learning process he faced throughout the three practice sessions. While the 22 year-old felt several issues prevented him from putting together the perfect final lap, he acknowledged that a P3 finish was a result worth celebrating but refused to settle for the result.
“So basically, each compound, you get one lap of learning, each set of tyres, basically. I just feel like it worked quite well the whole weekend, but I feel like I wish there was another qualifying so I can keep improving the balance of the car because I’m not really satisfied with how we ended the session.
“And yeah, a few issues on the deployment on that last lap. So all in all, nothing really aligned. And to come out on third with all these issues, you know, on a normal weekend, that would be P8 and now we’re third, so we should be happy about the performance. But yeah, I’m not really.”
Tyre degradation will be key to making progress through the field
“No, I mean, I don’t think I’m going to see them tomorrow because, you know, it’s quite dictated by your starting position,” Hadjar said when asked whether the team’s long-run simulations gave him confidence heading into tomorrow’s race.
Starting behind both McLarens, both Ferraris and a Mercedes, he acknowledged that making his way past them will not be easy but expects tyre degradation and management to play a crucial role in how the race will unfold.
“You may be super quick and then when you sit behind a car that’s still competitive, you know, tomorrow I’ll be fighting Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari,” he said. “So they are fast cars and it’s not like I’m going to run through them at all. So in the end, I’m going to have to look after the tyres, make the most of who I get and try and climb.”
Returned to a “way better” performing RB22
Since the start of the 2026 F1 season, Red Bull have made significant performance gains, allowing the team to consistently fight at the front of the field again. With both drivers showing consistent pace throughout the session, the RB22 delivered a strong overall performance in Qualifying.
It has been a strong comeback from injury for the Frenchman. He was on the podium last weekend in Baku after qualifying P4.
“On my side, I definitely feel like I jumped in a car that’s way better than when I left it in Budapest. Definitely, when you step out actually for three races and you come back, you actually notice a bigger difference,” Hadjar said when discussing how the characteristics of the Sepang International Circuit suited the RB22.
“And yeah, the last two weekends have been surprising, even though I was following from close, even though I was on the bench. I feel like I’m quite surprised driving this car right now. I still believe there are things that need major improvements and still the car is performing ok, so it’s only good news.”
He added: “But to be fair, I’m actually surprised it’s performing that well on a tarmac that has such low grip. Usually it doesn’t really suit our car, but apparently it does. So it’s good that it works in Baku, in Sepang, two completely different tracks. I think it’s a good news.”
