Isack Hadjar slated his Red Bull power unit as he suffered a series of problems from the start of the Australian Grand Prix before retiring on lap 11.
Red Bull’s new driver looked poised to take the lead moments after the start before being struck by the beginnings of a power unit problem which soon forced him out.
Hadjar’s race engineer Richard Wood instructed him to “hit pre-start early” before the race began to ensure he had as much power as possible. But as his RB22’s acceleration dipped on the run to turn one Hadjar told Wood he had “no power”.
The frustration levels in the cockpit of car number six only rose from then on. “Lift off when you can, keep your head down, lift off when you can,” Wood urged. “There’s something really wrong,” Hadjar replied, warning him before the first lap ended he feared the engine would fail.
Over the remainder of their short race, Wood repeatedly advised Hadjar on where to lift off the throttle to improve the power unit’s energy recovery. After Andrea Kimi Antonelli passed him easily on lap six the team tried a different technique, but it didn’t seem to improve the problem.
On lap 11 Hadjar’s power unit finally cried enough and he came to a stop in a cloud of smoke approaching turn nine. “I don’t know what to say,” he remarked. “That was just crap, like, honestly.”
Isack Hadjar’s radio transcript from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix
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“There’s something really wrong”
| Lap: 1/58 HAD: 1’36.046 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Isack we need to hit pre-start early, so during the blue lights, pre-start please. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Turn two No power. |
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| Wood | Okay we’re checking, we’re checking. The lift-off is… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Approaching turn three Engine [unclear] |
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| Wood | Okay, lift off when you can, keep your head down, lift off when you can. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | There’s something really wrong. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Keep going, keep going, we’re looking into it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Fail, zero one fail, fail zero one fail. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | The engine going to ex-[cuts out]. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Keep going, SOC’s coming up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 2/58 HAD: 1’25.556 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | We need to maximise the lift-off or something, tell me! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | You’re doing the right thing so lift-off turn six, lift-off, turn six. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | [Unclear] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Isack, good job. Just lift off into one, three and six to help the situation. Lift off one, three and six. Good job. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 3/58 HAD: 1’25.342 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | I don’t see how we’re going to finish this race, mate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Okay so the problem is the SOC, the SOC is coming back to us, it is going to come back to us. Okay, we are monitoring it, I’ll come back to you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | And shift [unclear] as well, help me. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Okay, all speed ranges? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Engine 11, position 12. Engine 11 position 12. The sequence is coming back to us mate. Keep your head down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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“That’s embarrassing, mate”
| Lap: 4/58 HAD: 1’25.355 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Engine 10 position three. Engine 10, position three. We are happy with the reliability of the engine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 5/58 HAD: 1’25.879 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | How much lift-off? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Doing a good job as it is. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Yeah, but can I get away with some more? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | No, same level. Same level. We are already maximising recovery, same level is good. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Same level as what? I’m doing [unclear]. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Okay, so we can cancel lift-off turn three, next lap. Cancel lift-off turn three next lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Car behind is Antonelli. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 6/58 HAD: 1’25.445 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Antonelli cruises past Hadjar into turn nine That’s embarrassing, mate! |
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| Wood | Yeah, the deployment will improve, it’s going to improve. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | It’s a long race mate, head down, it’s going to come back to us. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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“You’ll get more energy to turn nine”
| Lap: 7/58 HAD: 1’25.445 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Can we [unclear] please? In turn one, like I don’t need, lift-off in turn one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | So the SOC is adapting, it is adapting. You’ll get more energy to turn nine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Come on! Mate, it’s worse every lap. It’s adapting backwards, come on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Isack, it is coming towards us. Just keep your head down, keep your head down, it’s doing it, head down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | I see your TDIF, it’s coming towards you, just keep your head down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 9/58 HAD: 1’25.239 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | You need to give me more… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | [Interrupts] Can I have a balance update, balance update. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Yeah, tyres okay. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Copy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Engine 11, position 13. Engine 11 position 13, bigger lift turn three. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 10/58 HAD: 1’25.363 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Come on man, you told me not to turn three. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Yeah, it’s a new recommendation, it is a new recommendation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Yeah, yeah. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | So the lift in turn three is the best thing we can do to help turn nine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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“That was just crap”
| Lap: 11/58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | And lift into turn six as well, bigger lift turn six as well. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Hadjar’s engine revs high, then goes quiet Oh, come on! Oh, it’s broken. Everything. |
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| Wood | Okay, copy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Yeah, less power steering, less everything. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | [Unclear] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | So no shifting and pull off the track when you first can. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Yeah… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hadjar | Oh, yeah, I don’t know what to say. That was like, that was just crap, like, honestly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wood | Yeah, okay, Isack. We’ll debrief out of the car. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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