Isack Hadjar’s Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session ended early after a gearbox failure broke the fourth gear on his Red Bull, a problem that will send him to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.
The issue struck during Q1, when Hadjar radioed his team to report he had lost gears and had to return to the pitlane. He got back out before the fourth-gear failure ultimately cut his session short, according to The Race.
The Main Development
Hadjar’s first mechanical warning came early in Q1, when he told his engineers, “Same issue, I lost the gears,” according to Motorsport.com. Red Bull mechanics managed to get the car back out on track, but the respite proved short-lived. The fourth gear broke outright soon after, ending his qualifying bid for good.
Hadjar credited his mechanics for the quick turnaround that got him back on circuit before the failure, but the outcome left him clearly frustrated. “Pissed off,” he said of his state of mind afterward, adding, “I could’ve stayed back in Paris and it would’ve been the same result.”
What It Means For His Starting Position
The Hadjar gearbox failure during Singapore qualifying leaves him starting from the back of the grid on Sunday. With no Q1 time that mattered once the mechanical issue intervened, he has no realistic shot at a top-10 grid slot heading into the race.
Hadjar himself was blunt about his outlook, saying he believed scoring points on Sunday had become far from reality because of the gearbox problem. That assessment reflects just how difficult overtaking through the field can be around the Marina Bay street circuit, where track position carries significant weight.
Context: A Weekend Already Fighting Handling Issues
Hadjar had been working through earlier handling problems in the car before the gearbox failure struck, and he had expressed excitement about getting past those issues. That progress was undone once the mechanical fault forced him out of the session early, turning what had looked like a recovering weekend into a lost one.
His frustration extended beyond the car itself. Hadjar also criticized the sprint race format, calling the decision to add more sprint weekends to the calendar “very disappointing.”
What’s Next
Hadjar will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the field, facing a steep climb through traffic on a circuit not known for easy passing. Red Bull will need to repair the gearbox before the race gets underway. Max Verstappen took pole for Red Bull in the same session, a contrast that highlights the gap in fortunes between the two cars this weekend.
More F1 news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
