Hadjar rues Q3 rain timing as grid penalties lift him to fifth

Isack Hadjar is set to start the São Paulo Grand Prix fifth, but the Red Bull driver was frustrated by the timing of the rain in Q3. He said heavy rain began just as he was last to take to the track. Q2 had gone well, he added, and he began Q3 believing he could fight for a top-three place.

Hadjar posted the seventh-fastest time, but grid penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc lifted him to fifth on the starting grid. He said he was satisfied with the result, while also objecting to the way the session was decided: in his view, only one lap ultimately counted.

Hadjar also criticized the full-wet tyres used in Q1 and part of Q2. He said he had expected more grip and a more comfortable feel, and called on Pirelli to improve them for 2027; he argued that racing was not possible in those conditions. For the Grand Prix, he said he had no preference about the weather as long as he could see the track and the car ahead.