Isack Hadjar fails to set a lap in Singapore Qualifying after gearbox failure; starts from the back

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Isack Hadjar’s Singapore Grand Prix weekend took another difficult turn in Qualifying as a gearbox problem left him unable to complete a representative timed lap at the Marina Bay Circuit. The French driver was ultimately classified last after the mechanical issue stopped his run, condemning him to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid.

Hadjar had earlier described a moment of promise before the failure. In team radio remarks later relayed publicly, he said he felt “nice in Sector 1” until, at Turn 8, he “broke the gearbox,” adding: “What’s funny is that I felt nice in Sector 1, until in Turn 8 I broke the gearbox, basically.” He also indicated the car was severely affected, telling his team the “engine is off,” and explaining that he continued trying to bring the car back to the garage rather than stopping on track.

The gearbox problem forced Hadjar to return to the garage, which in turn meant he could not set a qualifying time and was unclassified in the session. With no lap set, he lined up on the last row at the start of the race—an outcome that underscores how costly the gap between track position and opportunity can be at Singapore’s street circuit.

Hadjar linked his frustration to a broader run of reliability troubles affecting the RB22 in recent outings. He noted that the car had “issues in every session but FP1,” referencing earlier misfortune in the same weekend: a battery issue in Malaysia that had cost him what he felt could have been a podium, and a retirement in Singapore’s Sprint due to a separate mechanical failure.

Despite the setbacks, Hadjar said his priority was to get back on track and push for points once the race begins. He acknowledged the challenge of starting from last, but pointed to the opportunity for the team to fight back through the race, saying he wants to “push and bring points” and that missing out on Qualifying’s adrenaline “p****d” him.

While Hadjar’s Qualifying ended in disappointment, Max Verstappen finished on top in the session to secure pole position, claiming the 50th pole of his Grand Prix career. The contrast highlighted that Red Bull had pace available at the front in Singapore, even as Hadjar’s weekend was undermined by repeated reliability failures.

Team Principal Laurent Mekies took responsibility for the bad luck affecting Hadjar’s session and said the team couldn’t provide a proper opportunity for him to demonstrate his speed. “We need to send a good apology to Isack, really,” Mekies said after Qualifying. He added: “We didn’t give him any chance to express his speed this weekend,” noting that the team had faced a power unit issue in the Sprint earlier and a gearbox issue in Qualifying.

Mekies also emphasized why starting position matters at Marina Bay, where overtaking can be limited. He said the team will “fight with him tomorrow” from the back of the grid to try to return Hadjar to the points, even as Qualifying’s short window was lost to the gearbox failure.

For Hadjar, the next test will be to convert the race into damage limitation. Starting from last after being unable to set a time in Qualifying, he will need a clean run and timely opportunities to make progress on a circuit where track position often shapes strategy and results.