Isack Hadjar has revealed that he completed 31 of the 56 laps at the 2026 United States Grand Prix with his Red Bull still in pit-stop mode, a mistake he believes cost him approximately one second per lap. The French driver forgot to switch back to the correct race engine mapping after his pit stop, leaving him without power below roughly 40% throttle input. Despite the problem, he still finished sixth at Austin, making the missed opportunity even more frustrating.
It took just one moment of inattention to turn what had looked like a potential podium weekend into a difficult afternoon. Isack Hadjar had demonstrated impressive speed throughout the event, but a poor start and an overlooked cockpit setting compromised his chances of converting that performance into a stronger result. The incident also highlighted two separate weaknesses Red Bull will need to address: its operational procedures and the behaviour of its clutch during race starts.
Isack Hadjar loses two positions to Ferrari at the Austin GP start
Saturday had provided plenty of encouragement for Isack Hadjar, who qualified third, just over two tenths behind pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli. With such a competitive starting position, the Red Bull driver had genuine hopes of fighting for a podium at the Circuit of the Americas.
Those ambitions suffered an immediate setback when the lights went out. By the first corner, Isack Hadjar had dropped from third to fifth, losing two positions to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as both Ferrari drivers made progress during the opening lap.
“Once again, I’m disappointed with the start,” Isack Hadjar admitted, expressing his frustration at losing both places to the Ferraris “without being able to do anything.”
However, the race subsequently developed in a more encouraging direction. Running on soft tyres with clear air ahead, Isack Hadjar established a pace close to that of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and began considering whether a one-stop strategy could deliver a strong result.
According to Mercedes’ simulations, a single-stop approach was approximately eight seconds faster, making fourth or fifth place appear achievable. “In clean air, during the first stint, I was matching Kimi’s lap times, and I thought it was going to be a one-stop race,” the Frenchman explained.
Red Bull pit-stop mode error leaves Isack Hadjar without power below 40% throttle
The mistake that ultimately compromised Isack Hadjar’s race involved a seemingly minor cockpit procedure. During a pit stop, Red Bull uses a dedicated engine mapping known as Strat 12, which maintains high engine revs while keeping the clutch engaged. Once the driver leaves the pit lane, the correct race mapping must be restored.
However, Isack Hadjar was occupied with a radio discussion about the decision to fit hard tyres and failed to select the appropriate setting before returning to the circuit. With the opportunity to change the configuration no longer available outside the pit lane, the Red Bull remained in pit-stop mode for the rest of the Grand Prix.
The consequences were particularly noticeable whenever the Frenchman accelerated out of a corner. With Strat 12 still active, the car did not deliver power until the accelerator pedal had been pressed beyond approximately 40% of its travel, forcing Isack Hadjar to apply considerably more throttle than normal.
This unusual throttle response made the car more difficult to manage and increased the risk of wheelspin. Excessive wheelspin contributes to tyre degradation and wastes energy, potentially causing the battery to deplete earlier than intended. Every acceleration phase effectively involved dealing with a pronounced delay in power delivery, similar to significant turbo lag.
Isack Hadjar was direct about the impact of the mistake. “I was stuck with the pit-stop mapping, and that costs us a second per lap,” the Red Bull driver admitted.
Radio communication problems further complicated the situation. Coverage was poor during the race, with Max Verstappen experiencing similar interference, and Isack Hadjar complained that he had struggled to hear his race engineer clearly while in the pits.
Although those communication issues help explain how the mistake occurred, responsibility for selecting the correct engine mapping remained with the driver. The Frenchman had been distracted while discussing the tyre strategy and failed to complete the necessary procedure before leaving the pit lane.
How much time did Isack Hadjar really lose at the United States GP?
Estimating the exact cost of Isack Hadjar’s mistake is not straightforward. Multiplying his reported one-second-per-lap deficit by the 31 affected laps produces a theoretical loss of approximately half a minute, but that calculation does not account for traffic, tyre management or the changing circumstances of the race.
Even recovering a fraction of that estimated time could have changed the final classification. Lando Norris finished fifth less than four seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar, while Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in fourth less than 16 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver.
There is no way to establish whether Isack Hadjar would actually have overtaken either driver without the problem. Nevertheless, the relatively small gaps underline how costly the incorrect engine setting may have been, particularly given his promising qualifying performance and encouraging pace during the opening stint.
Despite the disappointment, sixth place remained a valuable result. Isack Hadjar finished ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell, while Max Verstappen secured a podium finish that allowed Red Bull to draw level with McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
The result was particularly significant given McLaren’s recent struggles and Red Bull’s recovery in the Constructors’ Championship. Even on a difficult afternoon, the two Red Bull drivers contributed important points, although the team left Austin knowing that a stronger result had potentially been within reach.
Hard tyre strategy was not the cause of Red Bull’s Austin problems
One of the ironies of the race was that the hard compound ultimately proved to be the most competitive tyre over longer distances. Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix using a one-stop strategy, demonstrating that the approach Isack Hadjar had initially considered could be effective.
The choice of hard tyres, which Isack Hadjar had questioned over the radio during his pit stop, was therefore not the underlying issue. The Frenchman acknowledged that the choice of compound would not have changed the situation, because the incorrect engine mapping was compromising his acceleration regardless of which tyres were fitted.
The contrasting strategies also formed part of a wider tactical battle at Austin, where Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull adopted different approaches to managing tyre performance. While Andrea Kimi Antonelli successfully completed a single stop, Ferrari’s Austin tyre strategy involved a different sequence of compounds and pit stops.
For Isack Hadjar, however, no alternative strategy could compensate for losing approximately one second per lap because of the engine setting. The problem was not fundamentally related to tyre selection, but to a procedural error that left the car operating in the wrong configuration.
Isack Hadjar calls for Red Bull clutch redesign after recurring start problems
Although the engine mapping mistake could be dismissed as a momentary lapse in concentration, the Austin weekend exposed two distinct issues for Red Bull. The first was a human error that could potentially be prevented through stricter procedures or a reminder displayed on the steering wheel.
The second concerned the car itself, particularly its behaviour during race starts. Isack Hadjar believes the clutch needs to be redesigned because he considers it excessively fragile and sensitive to temperature changes, making consistent launches difficult to achieve.
The Frenchman was not confident that Red Bull would resolve the issue for next season, raising questions about whether the team can eliminate one of the weaknesses that affected his United States Grand Prix. The start problem also deserves attention because losing positions in the opening corners can undermine an otherwise competitive weekend before the race strategy has even begun to develop.
Red Bull looks towards 2027 with Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen
Isack Hadjar is set to remain alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2027, making the lessons from Austin particularly relevant to the team’s longer-term development. Addressing both the procedural shortcomings and the car’s start characteristics could help the team avoid similar problems in future races.
After the Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar explained that Red Bull had performed impeccably during the more complicated aspects of the weekend, with only “those little details” preventing the team from achieving everything it had hoped for.
With five races remaining in the 2026 Formula 1 season, there will be opportunities to assess whether Red Bull can resolve at least some of those weaknesses before the championship concludes. The overall impression remains that the team is preparing to challenge strongly in 2027, with the ambition of returning to the dominant position it previously enjoyed.
More Red Bull news from the Austin Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen demands answers from Red Bull after the United States GP
- Max Verstappen reveals Red Bull engine problems following his Austin podium
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