Hadjar estimates pace loss against Mercedes at half a second to a second

At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang, Isack Hadjar estimated that he was losing perhaps half a second to a second even compared with Mercedes.

Hadjar qualified third but started eighth after a new internal-combustion engine. He ran in the top four for much of the race before Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc passed him late, leaving him fifth.

Hadjar said Red Bull had been faster throughout the weekend, but that his own race pace was poor. He identified the RB22’s chassis, rather than the power unit, as the bigger problem. He said a lack of battery left him unable to defend against the Ferraris on the straights after the final restart. He added that the battery was especially low for the first two laps after the restart, then stabilised; he believed he would otherwise have kept third.

Team principal Laurent Mekies said Red Bull did not yet know exactly why Hadjar lost speed after the final safety-car restart and was analysing chassis and engine data.