Isack Hadjar has hit out at Red Bull’s repeated poor starts after the French Formula 1 driver lost four places at the first corner of a recent race.

What happened?

On 12 July, Isack Hadjar, the Red Bull junior driver, dropped four positions off the line during the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. The 20-year-old started from eighth on the grid but was overtaken by four cars before Turn 1, leaving him 12th by the end of the first lap.

Hadjar later recovered to finish 10th, securing a single point in the constructors’ championship. But the early loss of positions left him fuming in the post-race debrief. “There’s no point going to a race knowing you’ll lose four places before the first corner,” he told reporters. “It’s not acceptable when you’re fighting for points.”

Why it matters for Isack Hadjar

The incident exposed a recurring flaw in Red Bull’s 2026 package: inconsistent starts that erase hard-earned qualifying positions. Hadjar’s qualifying lap in Austria placed him P8, but the team’s launch control and traction issues cost him dearly before the race even began.

Hadjar’s frustration reflects broader concerns inside the team. While Red Bull’s race pace often keeps drivers in the points, poor starts repeatedly hand back hard-won positions. For a driver pushing for a top-five finish in the championship, every lost place early on stings.

The Austrian GP wasn’t an outlier. Hadjar has lost positions off the line in three of the last five races, including Monaco and Barcelona. Each time, he’s clawed back ground in the midfield, but the pattern risks becoming a season-long handicap.

What comes next?

Hadjar and Red Bull will target fixes before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 27 July. Engineers are reviewing launch-control settings and tyre warmers to tighten the exits out of Turns 8 and 9, where Hadjar’s RB19 has struggled for grip in the opening laps.

Team boss Christian Horner admitted the issue is “frustrating” but insisted upgrades are coming. “We’re working flat-out to iron out the inconsistencies,” Horner said. “Isack’s race pace is strong—we just need the starts to match.”

Hadjar himself remains focused on execution. “We’ll keep pushing, keep learning,” he said. “But we can’t keep giving away places before the race even starts.”