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Saturday at the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore turned into an absolute nightmare for Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar, as persistent technical gremlins wrecked both his Sprint outing and qualifying for the main Grand Prix.
The Frenchman's woes began early in the Sprint. While circulating behind the Safety Car following an opening-lap incident involving Mercedes' George Russell, Hadjar suffered a power unit failure and was forced to pull his RB22 off track.
During the break ahead of qualifying, Red Bull mechanics worked tirelessly to replace the damaged components with spare parts, enabling him to venture out for the session. Hadjar was quick to praise his crew's immense efforts, but the relief was short-lived. After momentarily grinding to a halt on circuit, he managed to limp back to the pit lane, only for a terminal gearbox issue on his subsequent flying lap to abruptly end his qualifying hopes.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 afterwards, a visibly dejected Hadjar did not hold back his frustration:
"I just want to drive. Honestly, I don't care if I'm 22nd, I just want to be out there doing my job. We've got unused soft tyres sitting in the garage, and that's what infuriates me the most right now. I just want to race and battle with the others."
Facing a back-of-the-grid start at a street circuit notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities, Hadjar confirmed the team is likely to fit a completely fresh power unit for Sunday's race—a move that will inevitably trigger a pit-lane start.
"We need new parts, and tomorrow gives us a chance because literally everything has fallen apart this weekend. We definitely need a clean slate," the Red Bull driver added.
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