Isack Hadjar’s weekend at the F1 2026 Chinese GP was rather eventful. Throughout the weekend, Red Bull had massive struggles as the car was terrible to drive. The French driver had to settle for P8 on Sunday.
While Hadjar did manage to qualify in the top ten for the Sprint, it was not enough to fight for points as Kimi Antonelli hit him on the first lap. Both Red Bull drivers finished the Sprint Race outside of the points.
Despite the challenges early on, the Frenchman Qualified P9 for the Grand Prix. He spent the race fighting the car and the field, ultimately finishing P8.
In the print media pen after the race, Hadjar discussed how difficult the RB22 was to drive. The Red Bull driver was battling the car for most of the Chinese GP, including a big spin on the opening lap.
“The car was just super hard to drive today, a lot more than it was the last two days. It just caught me off guard on Lap 1, and even the whole race, I was struggling, I was just fighting with it.”
The battles and incidents of the F1 2026 Chinese GP
Hadjar’s 2026 Chinese GP weekend was marked by ups and downs. From an incident with Kimi Antonelli during the Sprint to another while battling Ollie Bearman during the race, it remained eventful. During Lap 1, Bearman and Hadjar were involved in a fierce battle. It ended with the Frenchman spinning out and Bearman having to take evasive action.
Speaking of the incident, Hadjar stated:
“It was just very instantaneous, the way the car snapped out of me. I didn’t even have time to have any input on that. The thing just spun out and I was done.”
He continued to be asked about his slow pit stop and whether it was another factor that hindered him.
“The front left was just an issue, surely with the wheel gun. We lost a few seconds, but I don’t think it would have changed anything to be honest.”
The state of racing in F1
Several drivers have voiced their criticism of the new F1 regulations, including Hadjar’s teammate Max Verstappen. The four-time World Champion recently compared racing to Mario Kart and stated it is not “fun”. As a result of Verstappen’s comments, Hadjar was asked about his opinion on the racing.
“To the fair, the racing is not too bad. Of course, always a bit sad to arrive quite slow into some corners. To me, Qualifying is a bit of the worst part, between lift and coast and yeah. I just think that a race car should be reaching its top speed at the end of the straights. It’s a bit of a shame, but the racing has been pretty good.”
The Frenchman described Qualifying as the worst part, with criticism similar to Charles Leclerc’s. Between having to slow down when they want to go fast and the struggle of lift and coast, the new regulations have been a challenge. Hadjar leaves the weekend with four more points. As Suzuka is next, Red Bull will hope for a more fruitful weekend there.
