The 2026 United States Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit of the Americas brings a wave of intense pressure for Isack Hadjar. The young French driver had to settle for third on the starting grid after missing out on a front-row lock-out during a tense qualifying session. Statistically, starting from third in Austin is a steep mountain to climb, as history shows only two winners in 13 editions have triumphed from outside the front row.
While locking down the third spot behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli and four-time world champion Max Verstappen looks respectable on paper, the 22-year-old's expression told a completely different story. Despite the outward appearance, he confessed that finishing third feels surprisingly decent given the severe struggles he faced throughout the practice sessions.
Reflecting on his grueling weekend, Hadjar admitted the massive hurdles he encountered with car balance. He revealed that he could not complete a single clean lap on the soft compound tires during the third free practice session because the car proved exceptionally difficult to tame and suffered from excessive sliding.
The stressful garage environment also pushed the driver to issue a direct apology to his engineering crew for his harsh demeanor during intense radio communications. "Ich schulde dem Team eine Entschuldigung, denn ich war sehr ruppig mit den Ingenieuren – also, tut mir leid, Jungs. I know how hard they work to give me a great car," he stated candidly.
Getting the machine into its optimal operating window proved to be an uphill battle. Yet, securing third place under such adverse conditions highlights the incredible raw performance hidden inside the Red Bull chassis. The ultimate challenge for the squad now lies in unlocking that missing pace ahead of the main race.
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