Hadjar taken aback by Verstappen's steering responsiveness.
Isack Hadjar stated that he never experienced the steering issue that plagued Max Verstappen at the beginning of 2026. Red Bull Racing implemented a modified steering-column system in Miami after Verstappen consistently voiced concerns regarding poor front-end feedback during the initial races in Australia, China, and Japan. This upgrade seemed to revitalize the RB22, allowing Verstappen to quickly return to the competitive forefront.
However, Hadjar faced a difficult Miami weekend, crashing during the race after struggling significantly with pace, leading to speculation that the recent enhancements favored Verstappen much more than his car. The young French driver has now disclosed that he never actually utilized the updated steering system.
"No, I didn’t have the same problem," Hadjar acknowledged in Montreal. "We didn’t use the same new steering column for Miami." The 21-year-old expressed that this situation only heightened his respect for Verstappen’s remarkable technical feel. "Honestly, I didn’t experience what he did," Hadjar remarked. "So yes, that demonstrates how sensitive he is to such matters and how well he understands his own preferences. That’s extremely impressive."
Hadjar felt particularly frustrated, believing that he had the potential to score points before his crash in Miami. "It was evident that if I stayed steady, points were achievable," he said. "I truly aimed to go all in for that race." "I couldn’t do that due to my mistake, which left me very upset."
He acknowledged that both he and the team need to improve. "Both the team and I need to perform better than we did last weekend, as we lacked pace," Hadjar stated. "If we can enhance that, I just want to compete with the other drivers." Yet, Hadjar commended Red Bull’s recent development strides following a challenging start to the season. "At the beginning of the year, it was clear that some teams had started their projects ahead of us," he noted. "But the upgrade certainly surprised me and many others in the paddock. I think that was incredibly impressive on our part." "However, we expect even more progress in the future."
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