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Motorsport

Isack Hadjar admits Red Bull consistency issues despite strong reliability in Australia

Isack Hadjar Red Bull Max Verstappen Australian GP Melbourne Racing Bulls

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar has confirmed that reliability is good from the Milton Keynes outfit, but that he struggled with consistency during the second practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

The French-Algerian driver put in the fourth-fastest time behind his new team-mate Max Verstappen in third during first practice, before going ninth-fastest in FP2 with Verstappen putting in the sixth-fastest time.

"Reliability has been good, but in terms of consistency, every lap in FP2 has been quite difficult, in terms of deployment and everything," Hadjar told the media in Melbourne. "But we'll look into it. It cannot go smooth on day one, so it's normal."

The 2026 F1 season brings in a new set of regulations, which feature an almost 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power, among many other changes.

When asked if the inconsistency was due to difficulty harvesting energy around the Albert Park circuit, Hadjar added: "We are [having to try different things], and it's also constantly having to adapt your braking points, because you're never arriving at the same speed. The dynamic of the car changes as well, so it's very tricky."

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images)

Hadjar joined Verstappen at Red Bull for 2026 after an impressive rookie season with the Milton Keynes sister outfit, Racing Bulls, in 2025. The seat alongside the four-time champion has almost become cursed in recent years as Red Bull has struggled to find a long-term second driver.

Liam Lawson replaced Sergio Perez for the 2025 season but found himself demoted to Racing Bulls after just two race weekends. Taking the New Zealander's position ahead of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix was Yuki Tsunoda. While the Japanese driver remained with the team until the end of the season, he has now been moved to a reserve driver role with Hadjar assuming the position.