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Isack Hadjar Demands Red Bull Clutch Redesign After Costly Start in Austin
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar has called for a complete clutch redesign following a poor start at the United States Grand Prix.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-10-25T23:55:00.000Z - 3 min read
Isack Hadjar has issued a direct demand to Red Bull to completely redesign their car clutch following a difficult afternoon at the United States Grand Prix. The French driver converted a promising third-place grid slot into a frustrating sixth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas, losing crucial ground right as the lights went out. Having qualified just thirty-six milliseconds behind his teammate Max Verstappen on the second row, Hadjar looked initially poised to mount a serious challenge for a podium finish. Instead, a sluggish getaway undid his hard work and set the tone for an uphill battle throughout the fifty-six lap encounter.
Speaking to media outlets including Sky Sports after the chequered flag, Hadjar revealed that he had already reviewed the start sequence and insisted that he executed his launch procedure without error. According to the Red Bull driver, the recurring launch troubles stem entirely from machinery behavior rather than driver execution. He explained that the system suffers from unexpected clutch over-delivery that sits completely outside his control from the cockpit. Both Red Bull cars struggled off the line during the race, with Verstappen also losing his hold on second place while the Ferraris surged past Hadjar.
The launch difficulties compounded an already complicated afternoon that featured multiple operational hurdles inside the garage and on track. Hadjar pointed to poor radio coverage that prevented him from hearing crucial instructions from the pit wall during the race. Communication failures meant he left the pit lane running the wrong engine map, resulting in a significant pace deficit that cost him a full second per lap while fitted with the hard compound tyres.
When questioned about potential short-term solutions to the recurring launch headaches, Hadjar was adamant that minor adjustments would not suffice. The Red Bull driver made it clear that the hardware itself requires a comprehensive overhaul to withstand operating temperatures. He stated that the current mechanism is simply too fragile and struggles to cope with thermal stress, turning standard starts into a persistent operational gamble for the team.
The sixth-place result in Austin extends a challenging run of form for Hadjar, who has now failed to crack the top five in the last two consecutive grands prix. His recent sequence includes a tenth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix followed by Sunday's recovery to sixth at COTA. Despite the frustration of watching promising grid positions slip away at the start, the French driver will now turn his full focus toward the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix and a targeted return to the front five.
The developing situation places renewed pressure on the Milton Keynes engineering department to address the thermal and mechanical limitations highlighted by their rookie driver. While Verstappen managed to salvage his own race despite a messy getaway, the repeated starts issue has clearly become a performance bottleneck for the outfit. With the championship margins remaining tight, resolving the hardware fragility before the paddock arrives in Mexico remains an immediate priority for the team.