Isack Hadjar did not hold back his criticisms of Red Bull after the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix this past Sunday (26). Even finishing the race in sixth and watching his teammate Max Verstappen clinch second, the Frenchman mocked the car’s performance and said the team had “a good step backward.”
Despite the solid individual performance, the French driver stated that the team could not find the RB22’s ideal setup throughout the Hungaroring weekend: “We couldn’t manage to do that. Finding an ideal point and having something drivable for me wasn’t possible during the entire weekend. On paper, I was confident it would be a track that would suit us, but it simply didn’t come to life.”
When commenting on the car’s main problems, Hadjar highlighted the difficulties with downshifts, a point that has also drawn complaints from Verstappen over the season. “Surprisingly, the downshifts this weekend were terrible. So this is a good step backward for us as a team. Then it’s very telling. I think it’s just… yes, grip.”
The Frenchman also said he was relieved to realize that his struggles with the RB22 were similar to Verstappen’s: “Yes, what’s reassuring, let’s say. Otherwise, I’d be left asking questions. So that’s good news. I think it also shows why the gap in the classification is always so small.”
Verstappen managed a surprising second place in Hungary, but he also made clear that Red Bull is still far from ideal. The Dutch driver said he did not understand how he had reached the podium and stated that the car’s behavior remained essentially the same throughout the weekend, describing the race as one of the toughest of the year in terms of the car’s balance.
