Hadjar calls Red Bull chassis 'terrible,' warns team has 'no lead' on fix

Isack Hadjar has delivered a blunt assessment of Red Bull's struggles, stating the team's power unit is not the problem but instead a "terrible" chassis, and warning there is currently "no lead" on how to fix it. After three rounds, the team sits a distant sixth in the standings, with team principal Laurent Mekies admitting the squad is "scratching heads" over the car's inconsistent performance.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's failure to produce a competitive chassis in its second season as a full works team represents a significant setback. With star driver Max Verstappen's future a constant topic of speculation, prolonged performance issues could destabilize the team's long-term project and its ability to retain top talent, both in the cockpit and the factory.

The details:

• Hadjar's stark comments after the Japanese Grand Prix highlight a deep-seated issue, with the Frenchman stating the car is "just slow in the corners" despite having a "good power unit."
• Team principal Laurent Mekies corroborated the confusion, explaining the performance gap to rivals has been inconsistent and growing. He noted the car looked within reach of McLaren in Melbourne but fell drastically behind in China and Japan.
• Mekies described the RB22 as having an "underlying lack of performance" compounded by an additional layer of complexity the team is "wrestling with," preventing the drivers from fully exploiting the package.
• The current reality, as stated by Mekies, is that Red Bull is a "distant fourth" behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and now McLaren, often around one second per lap off the ultimate pace.

What's next:

Despite the grim current picture, Mekies expressed confidence in the team's core ability to diagnose and solve complex technical limitations. The enforced mini-break provides a critical period for analysis before the European season begins. The pressure is now on Red Bull's technical department to find the "lead" Hadjar says is missing and deliver upgrades that can close the gap to the front-running teams. Failure to show a clear development path could have ramifications far beyond this season's championship standings.