Hadjar lacking consistency as Verstappen ‘sees work to do’

The opening day of running at the Australian Grand Prix delivered a promising yet challenging start for Isack Hadjar, who felt by the reliability of Red Bull Racing’s new machinery around Albert Park – even if consistency proved somewhat elusive.

The rookie impressed early in the day, finishing fourth in the opening practice session behind team-mate Max Verstappen, before slipping to ninth in the afternoon as the field tightened and conditions evolved.

Despite the drop in the order, Hadjar emerged from Friday broadly satisfied with the RB22’s durability – a crucial factor in Formula 1’s radical new 2026 power unit era.

“Reliability has been good, but in terms of consistency, every lap in FP2 has been quite difficult, in terms of deployment and everything,” Hadjar told reporters in Melbourne. “But we'll look into it. It cannot go smooth on day one, so it's normal.”

A Tricky Balancing Act

Formula 1’s new regulations have dramatically reshaped the sport’s technical landscape, placing far greater emphasis on electric deployment alongside traditional combustion power.

With the balance between those two elements now almost evenly split, drivers are finding themselves constantly adapting their driving style – something Hadjar experienced firsthand around Albert Park’s fast, flowing layout.

“We are [having to try different things], and it's also constantly having to adapt your braking points, because you're never arriving at the same speed,” he explained. “The dynamic of the car changes as well, so it's very tricky.”

The result was a session where extracting a clean, repeatable lap proved indeed difficult – even if the underlying pace of the RB22 appeared encouraging.

Across the garage, Verstappen ended the day sixth fastest, though his running was briefly interrupted after a gravel excursion raised concerns about potential damage to the car.

Red Bull Unfazed After Verstappen Scare

Following the off-track moment, Red Bull’s engineers inspected the RB22 for any serious issues – but the initial verdict from chief engineer Paul Monaghan was reassuring.

"I'll say there's enough to keep us busy,” Monaghan said after assessing the car. “It's recoverable. It's nothing that drastic, but it's a bit of a thump, so we'll tidy it up and go again."

More broadly, Monaghan was encouraged by the way Red Bull’s brand-new package – including its first in-house power unit – performed on its debut race weekend.

"Fantastic," he added. "Brand new engine, our own, new car, new rules, and both cars went out of the pit lane at the start of P1, and both were competitive straight off."

Verstappen sees work ahead

For Verstappen, the day delivered a realistic picture of where Red Bull stands at the start of the new era.

While the four-time world champion encountered grip issues and his gravel run during practice, he believes the team’s overall pace sits roughly where expected – even if refinement is still required.

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“We are working on getting the set up right with the car and were struggling a bit with grip and also went into the gravel,” Verstappen said.

“We didn't have a full day of clean running but, pace wise, we are where I expected us to be. There is still a lot of work to do and we will analyse what worked and what we can improve on overnight and that is the reality at the moment.”

For Hadjar, the message from the first day of the weekend is clear: the foundations appear solid, but unlocking consistent performance will be the next challenge.

And in Formula 1’s bold new technical era, even the smallest step forward could make all the difference.

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