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Formula 1Mon 26 Oct 2026 · 8 of 12

Hadjar blames Red Bull clutch design after poor US Grand Prix start

Unsupported claims · 7/8 supported2 reports merged · 1 cited · 1 min read

RaceFans reports that Isack Hadjar blamed Red Bull’s clutch design for his poor start at the United States Grand Prix . RaceFans reports that Hadjar said the clutch is too fragile and does not cope well with temperatures, calling for a redesign . RaceFans reports that he experienced clutch over‑delivery despite following perfect procedure . RaceFans reports that Hadjar fell from third place to fifth at the start and later finished sixth . RaceFans reports that he complained about being switched to the hard tyre compound, poor radio coverage, and a wrong settings map that cost him about a second per lap . RaceFans reports that Hadjar’s teammate Max Verstappen also had a poor start and finished third .

Why it matters. RaceFans reports that Hadjar’s call for a clutch redesign could prompt Red Bull to address durability issues before upcoming events, potentially improving his race starts . He also highlighted tyre selection and radio communication problems that the team may need to fix to avoid lap‑time losses .

Earlier on Formula 1

Sun 25 Oct 2026Ferrari misses pole at Austin Grand Prix, tyre warm‑up issue citedThe Race reports that Ferrari failed to secure pole position at the 2026 Austin Grand Prix, marking its 18th unsuccessful pole attempt that season. The Race reports that Charles Leclerc qualified fourth while Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth. The Race reports that Ferrari is suffering from a single‑lap tyre warm‑up weakness that makes its qualifying performance poorer than its race pace. The Race reports that Leclerc said tyre temperatures were 1–2 °C lower in Q3, causing sliding and contributing to the poor qualifying result.Sun 25 Oct 2026Antonelli takes pole for US Grand Prix, Mercedes leads front rowRaceFans reports that Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin with a lap of 1:34.035. RaceFans reports that Max Verstappen qualified second for Red Bull with a time of 1:34.214, and Isack Hadjar third with 1:34.250. RaceFans reports that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth respectively, with times of 1:34.267 and 1:34.311. RaceFans reports that Mercedes driver George Russell qualified sixth, over four tenths of a second slower than Antonelli. RaceFans reports that Lando Norris initially moved to seventh but had his lap deleted for a track‑limits infringement, leaving him eighth on the grid.Sat 24 Oct 2026Leclerc fastest in US GP first practice, Verstappen close behindThe Race reports that Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap in the first practice session for the United States Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 0.084 seconds. The Race reports that the session felt like a pre‑season test because of a condensed sprint schedule and a week off before the race, prompting teams to use a traditional three‑practice format. The Race reports that Ferrari and McLaren led early running on medium tyres while Mercedes and Red Bull started on hard tyres before all teams switched to softs later in the session. The Race reports that Lando Norris was third fastest on soft tyres, ahead of both Mercedes cars and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, with teammate Oscar Piastri seventh, more than three tenths slower than Norris. The Race reports that George Russell posted the fourth‑fastest time, ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli, after dealing with an early front‑wing issue, and Mercedes trialled a new front wing.
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