Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar produced a strong drive in chaotic conditions to finish third at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP. The result marked Hadjar’s third podium of the season and extended his impressive run to 13 consecutive races in the points, despite having missed three rounds due to an off-track injury.
Reflecting on the race, Hadjar admitted that the changing conditions had presented one of the toughest challenges of his Formula 1 career. Nevertheless, the Frenchman was pleased to have tested himself in such demanding circumstances, particularly given his relatively limited experience in the championship.
“I mean, out of the—I don’t know how many races now I have in F1, not many, but definitely the most challenging conditions I’ve ever faced. So, yeah, I’m happy to have tested myself in conditions like that with the bit of experience I have.”
Solid start, but tyre trouble as the track evolved
Amid a jumbled grid resulting from a wet qualifying session and several grid penalties, Hadjar made a strong start, moving from fifth to fourth on the opening lap. He subsequently overtook Liam Lawson to claim third on Lap 7, although George Russell managed to find a way past just three laps later.
Hadjar explained that he had struggled considerably during the middle of his opening stint on intermediate tyres, particularly when accelerating out of corners. However, as the conditions evolved, his pace began to improve, with the switch to soft tyres allowing him to remain competitive for the remainder of the race.
“There was that middle part of the stint on the inter tyre where I was struggling massively. I could not power out of the corners. George literally overtook me out of [Turn] 12 like I was nothing. And it’s only a couple of laps later that actually it started to work better.
“But then it was already time to pit for the soft. And honestly, on the soft tyre, we were very competitive. To be fair, since that moment, we were competitive all the way to the end.”
Hadjar takes advantage of Antonelli’s misfortune
Hadjar pitted for slick tyres on Lap 16 and had settled back into third when Kimi Antonelli spun off on Lap 20. The incident allowed Hadjar to close the gap to the newly crowned champion, catching him just one lap later.
The two drivers subsequently enjoyed a close battle, particularly as rain began to fall again while they were still running on slick tyres. Hadjar admitted that Antonelli had been putting him under considerable pressure, with the Mercedes driver closely following his lines as they searched for grip in the increasingly difficult conditions.
“To be fair, I think he had spun off the lap before. So I was coming with some momentum. And I enjoyed the bit of fighting I had with Kimi. It was good, especially the laps where it started to rain again on the soft tyre.
“At the end, he was right behind me. He was very quick. And it’s like I was testing the grip for him. And he was challenging me a lot. So it was good to fight with him.”
“I always stand on the podium against adversity”
Hadjar relinquished second place to Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen on Lap 38 before settling into third through the final rounds of pit stops on Laps 51 and 63. While Verstappen struggled with handling issues during the closing stages, Hadjar avoided similar difficulties and maintained his position to secure another podium finish.
Reflecting on the result, Hadjar expressed particular satisfaction with his ability to overcome a challenging start to the weekend. Having struggled for competitiveness during Friday’s running and remained less than satisfied with the car on Saturday morning, the Frenchman felt that his performance in the race demonstrated his ability to deliver under difficult circumstances.
“Honestly, this kind of weekend, they make me happy because standing on the podium, it’s almost like I always stand on the podium against adversity. It’s never like I have a straightforward race or I qualify on pole or in the top three and I just do it.
“I seem to really have to dig deep for this one. And yeah, we were nowhere on Friday. Yesterday morning, not amazing. But then to have a race like that, I would say I did pretty well.”
