Hadjar recalls alarming first impression of RBPT engine: 'This is gonna be a long season'
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Isack Hadjar has expressed his delight with the performance of the Red Bull Ford power unit, particularly given that it is only the first year of an extremely ambitious project. The Frenchman also admitted that his first experience with the engine during pre-season testing initially left him concerned about what lay ahead.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit heads into the weekend fresh from its first victory of the season, courtesy of Max Verstappen, which also marks the maiden triumph for the Red Bull Powertrains project.
Launched this year, the new engine programme faces the daunting task of succeeding Honda, but its performances so far have given Red Bull little reason to miss its previously successful partnership with the Japanese manufacturer.
One of the final projects spearheaded by Christian Horner enabled Red Bull to become an engine manufacturer in its own right, recruiting some of the most prominent engine specialists from rival teams and bringing together a winning project in record time.
Hadjar had a Sunday to forget (Photo: Race Pictures)
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to GPblog and other media ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, the Frenchman admitted that his first experience with the Red Bull Ford power unit during pre-season testing in Barcelona raised serious concerns about the season ahead.
However, he expressed his admiration for how quickly the team managed to overcome those early difficulties, particularly given the scale of the project and the relatively short time in which the new facilities were established.
“I remember the first step I did with the engine in Barcelona, I was like, wow. This is gonna be a long season, and it quickly recovered after that.
“I think even I don't really realise how impressive that is, I remember basically they started the project after I joined the junior team. I remember when I was going to Red Bull, there was, like, literally just Red Bull Racing. Then within like six months, there were like two massive buildings built and it started from there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Hadjar also praised the efforts of everyone involved in the engine programme, acknowledging that its development is an area in which he has far less influence than he does over the chassis. The Red Bull driver stressed that he must therefore rely heavily on the expertise of the engineers, expressing his satisfaction with the progress achieved by the team.
“I'm just very happy for all the boys and girls back at home. It's a bit frustrating when I talk to you about the chassis. It's purely like the engine is something I can't have much impact on as a driver, in terms of development and everything. Nowhere near as much as I can do on the car. I depend on the team, and luckily, my team is talented. I'm very happy.”
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google
