Why does Isack Hadjar no longer like F1 sprint weekends?

He says his mind changed after a Singapore Grand Prix weekend that became an ordeal, having been more accepting of the format beforehand. The complaints about his car came first, and his view of sprint weekends followed.

What was wrong with Hadjar's Red Bull in Singapore first practice?

He complained that the car was bottoming too much, with the braking zones singled out as the worst area. The session left him seven tenths off his team-mate.

How far off Max Verstappen was Hadjar in Singapore first practice?

He was seven tenths of a second slower than Verstappen, his Red Bull team-mate, in that opening session at Marina Bay.

Has Red Bull responded to Hadjar's complaints about the car?

Red Bull have not publicly addressed them, and there is no indication yet of what the team will change. Hadjar has not said whether he has raised the issue internally.

F1

Isack Hadjar turns against F1 sprint weekends after Singapore ordeal

The Red Bull driver's Marina Bay weekend opened with a car bottoming under braking and a seven-tenths gap to Max Verstappen, and closed with him questioning a format he had previously accepted.

By Sportsback1h ago

Grahampurse · CC BY-SA 4.0

Isack Hadjar has changed his mind about Formula 1's sprint weekends, saying he no longer likes the format after a Singapore Grand Prix that turned into an ordeal. The Red Bull driver's weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit began badly in first practice, when he complained that his car was bottoming too much, particularly in the braking zones, and ended that session seven tenths of a second slower than team-mate Max Verstappen.

The complaint in first practice

Hadjar's objection was specific rather than general. He reported that the car was striking the ground repeatedly, with the braking zones the worst of it, and the gap to Verstappen in the same session gave the problem a number. A car bottoming that heavily under braking is one a driver cannot lean on with confidence, and Marina Bay offers little margin for a car that will not behave where it matters most.

Verstappen as the benchmark

2025 Japan GP - Red Bull - Max Verstappen - FP3

Verstappen's presence in the other car gives Hadjar's session a reference point that a lap time alone does not. Seven tenths in a single practice hour is not a verdict on a driver, but it is a wide enough margin to explain why the behaviour of the car dominated his account of the weekend. It also frames the complaint as a performance problem first and a scheduling argument second.

Where sprint qualifying fits

Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez, Silverstone 2021 (51349516878)

Sprint qualifying formed part of the Singapore weekend, and Hadjar's change of heart about sprints is tied to the way those days unfolded. The full sequence of the weekend, including what happened in that session and across the remaining running, has not been set out in detail. What is established is the conclusion he has reached: a format he had accepted before no longer sits well with him.

What is not yet known

Red Bull have not publicly addressed Hadjar's complaints about the car, and the team has given no indication of what, if anything, it will change. Hadjar has not separated his frustration with the sprint format from his frustration with how the Singapore weekend ran, and it is not clear whether he sees the two as connected. He has also not said whether he has raised the matter with the team.

Why a driver's verdict matters

A driver turning against sprint weekends carries more weight than one unhappy afternoon normally would, because the format recurs through a season rather than standing alone as a single event. Criticism from inside the cockpit is heard differently from criticism by teams or promoters. Hadjar's case is unusual in that it started with the machinery: the format is the conclusion, but the car was the evidence.

What happens next

The next sprint weekend Hadjar races in will show whether his position holds or was the product of one difficult weekend at Marina Bay. Equally relevant is whether Red Bull alter the car to stop it bottoming so severely, and whether the seven-tenths deficit to Verstappen proves a one-session outlier. Neither question has an answer yet, and Hadjar's own view of the format may shift again once the car behaves as he expects.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Isack Hadjar no longer like F1 sprint weekends?: He says his mind changed after a Singapore Grand Prix weekend that became an ordeal, having been more accepting of the format beforehand. The complaints about his car came first, and his view of sprint weekends followed.
What was wrong with Hadjar's Red Bull in Singapore first practice?: He complained that the car was bottoming too much, with the braking zones singled out as the worst area. The session left him seven tenths off his team-mate.
How far off Max Verstappen was Hadjar in Singapore first practice?: He was seven tenths of a second slower than Verstappen, his Red Bull team-mate, in that opening session at Marina Bay.
Has Red Bull responded to Hadjar's complaints about the car?: Red Bull have not publicly addressed them, and there is no indication yet of what the team will change. Hadjar has not said whether he has raised the issue internally.