Hadjar voices frustration despite major RB22 upgrades: 'It really feels bad'

Both Red Bull drivers experienced similar engine-related issues during FP2. Verstappen was the first to report an abnormal drop in RPM through the apex of Turn 3 on every push lap, before Isack Hadjar encountered what appeared to be the same problem in the very same corner a short while later.

Speaking after the session, Hadjar described the issue as making the rear of the car feel unpredictable through Turn 3, explaining that it repeatedly locked up and caused a sudden loss of support. The Frenchman added that the lack of consistent grip left him constantly guessing the available traction, while the engine's delayed response on corner exit triggered wheelspin and made the problem particularly costly through that section of the circuit.

"It's like the rears are grabbing, locking up, and you lose all the support. It's not a linear grip, it's not nice. So you're constantly guessing the grip. And then once you go back on throttle, the engine has to catch up. And it creates wheel spin on exit, so it's really, really poor. Just in this corner, I don't know how much we're losing, but it really feels bad."

He admitted the overall picture was still far from where Red Bull wanted to be despite the car feeling easier to drive than FP1, expressing hope that this would make it easier to unlock more performance on Saturday. Hadjar also acknowledged that the RB22 remains poorly balanced, leaving the team with plenty of work overnight to improve the setup.

Red Bull's upgrade package has not yet been enough to fully satisfy Max Verstappen in Austria. After the second free practice session at the Red Bull Ring, the Dutchman described a difficult day in which the team struggled to find the right balance with the car. Verstappen explained that Red Bull still needs to work on both front and rear grip in order to find the right compromise and unlock more pace, with the Dutchman admitting that the team currently appears to be lacking performance ahead of the rest of the weekend.