Isack Hadjar has argued that Red Bull did not have the fastest car at the Singapore Grand Prix, and believes his team-mate Max Verstappen would have won by a bigger margin had he been driving a Ferrari.
Verstappen heads into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix on the back of two consecutive wins at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix. The Dutchman dominated the race weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, claiming pole position for both the sprint race and grand prix, and winning both races.
But while speaking in the drivers’ press conference in Austin, Hadjar played down suggestions the Milton Keynes outfit now has the fastest car on the grid.
“No, because I think the car is still very hard to drive. In Malaysia, it was dominant, but I don’t think in Singapore it was the fastest car.”
When pressed on why, given the four-time champion had won by 7.3 seconds over second-placed Charles Leclerc, Hadjar added: “That’s what I believe. I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with more margin. So that’s my opinion.”
Hadjar said Verstappen made the most of every advantage he had, rather than relying on the pace of his Red Bull machinery.
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
“He qualified on pole by half a tenth. Ferrari didn’t have new tyres in the race, not on the soft, so this has an effect as well,” the French-Algerian driver explained. “He put all the chances on his side, he made the difference in Q3 and that was enough.”
Interestingly, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who joined Hadjar in the press conference, said that Red Bull’s upgrades introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix were “very strong” and that it had become “the most consistently quick car” over the last few races.
With six rounds remaining, Red Bull sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, seven points behind McLaren in third. Verstappen is also fourth in the drivers’ standings with 221 points, closing in on Lewis Hamilton in third on 229 points, and Hadjar is eighth with 97 points.
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