AUSTIN, Texas : Isack Hadjar sparked a war of words with Charles Leclerc on Thursday by suggesting Max Verstappen would have won the Singapore Grand Prix by a bigger margin if he had been driving a Ferrari.
Leclerc, who finished second to four-times Formula One world champion Verstappen in Singapore, 7.3 seconds behind, dismissed the Red Bull driver’s teammate’s assessment at the U.S. Grand Prix.
“I think it’s nonsense to start saying these kinds of things. Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives,” the Monegasque told reporters at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Hadjar, who finished 10th in Singapore, said Red Bull’s car remained difficult to drive despite Verstappen winning the last two races.
“In Malaysia, it (the Red Bull) was dominant, but I don’t think in Singapore it was the fastest car. That’s what I believe. I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with more margin,” Hadjar said.
“In Singapore, I think it (the Ferrari) was the fastest car.”
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri said Ferrari and Red Bull had both been stronger than the reigning constructors’ champions.
“I think it wasn’t a surprise that Ferrari were very strong in Singapore,” the Australian said, adding that Ferrari had been among the quickest teams through corners this season but had lost ground on the straights.
Piastri said Red Bull had become the most consistently fast car in recent weeks, although the competitive balance continued to shift from one circuit to another.
“Both stronger than us for sure,” he said of Ferrari and Red Bull.
