Isack Hadjar is feeling positive following strong opening day with Red Bull.
The Frenchman posted the best unofficial time of the day, but more importantly, considering this was the debut of the much anticipated Red Bull engine, completed 108 trouble-free laps, with only Esteban Ocon completing more.
“It was pretty productive,” he told F1TV at session end. “Surprisingly, we managed to do a lot more laps than we expected,” he added.
“Everything went pretty smooth,” he continued. “We had like only minor issues, so it’s quite impressive considering it’s our first day with our own engine. It was definitely smooth.”
Asked about drivability, compared to the Honda he ran last year, he said: “Honestly, it’s pretty decent for our first day. It doesn’t feel too far off what I’m used to, at least in my first season, on all of the upshifts, downshifts. There’s still a few things to tweak around, of course, but it’s solid.”
And all those, new for 2026, modes…
“It’s definitely a lot less load in general,” he said. “It’s a bit more predictable compared to the previous generation of cars, they are more simple, it’s easier to play around with them.
“Also, on the PU side, there’s a lot more options for the driver to play with, I already started to work on it today, so that was very interesting.”