Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing/3rd): “I owe the fans an apology”

Statistically speaking, things aren’t looking good for Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar: he has missed out on a place on the front row of the grid for the United States Grand Prix and will have to line up behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Unfortunately, the facts are clear – in the 13 editions of the US Grand Prix in Austin to date, the race has only been won twice by a driver who did not start from the front row. Max Verstappen won in 2023 from P6, whilst Charles Leclerc triumphed in 2024 after starting from P4.

The 22-year-old Frenchman’s expression after qualifying speaks volumes; he certainly doesn’t look satisfied. The Parisian promptly says: “I’m extremely happy with third on the grid because I’ve had a really tough weekend.”

“I’m having enormous problems with the car’s balance; I didn’t manage a single lap on the soft tyres in the third free practice session. The car is so difficult to drive.”

“I owe the team an apology because I was very rude to the engineers – so, I’m sorry, lads. I know how hard they work to put a good car together for me.”

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25.10.2026 - 19:30

“But I found it really difficult to get the car into the sweet spot. It simply slides around too much. Given all these factors, it’s quite astonishing that I’m in P3. That shows the potential our car has. We just need to manage to get more out of it.”