Voltar
F1 star Isack Hadjar has called for a Red Bull redesign after revealing a series of frustrating problems that derailed his US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was left furious after suffering a clutch issue at the start before later encountering radio communication problems and an incorrect engine setting that he claimed cost him around a second per lap.
Hadjar insisted he had followed the correct starting procedure but was powerless to prevent the problems, before admitting Red Bull's current system is too fragile and struggles to cope with temperatures.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race in Austin, Hadjar explained how his problems began before he had even reached the first corner of Sunday's 56-lap race.
"I did everything perfect in terms of procedure and then I just have clutch overdelivery," he said.
"And these things that are just out of my control are starting to p**s me off, you know?"
The Frenchman's frustrations continued as further issues emerged during the race.
"And then I have poor radio coverage. I can't hear what's happening in the pits. Then I leave the pits with the wrong map, and then I'm losing a second lap, every lap on that hard tyre."
Asked why Red Bull had yet to resolve its starting problems, Hadjar suggested that minor adjustments would not be enough.
"It needs a redesign," he explained.
"Because at the moment, it's too fragile, it's not coping well with temperatures. Yeah, it's a real struggle."
Hadjar was not the only Red Bull driver to suffer a disappointing start in Austin, with Max Verstappen also losing ground on the opening lap.
The four-time world champion admitted that poor starts had become a recurring problem for the team.
"Just the same always at the start, the problem we have," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies subsequently acknowledged that the team was still struggling to match its rivals when launching off the grid.
Mekies explained that the problem involved several areas of the car, including the engine, gearbox and clutch, rather than a single component.
He also admitted that significant design and hardware changes would be needed to fully address the issue, with those improvements not expected until 2027.