Ferrari star hits back at Austin ahead of the upcoming race
Charles Leclerc has dismissed Isack Hadjar’s suggestion that Max Verstappen would have won the Singapore Grand Prix by a bigger margin in a Ferrari, calling it “nonsense”. The Ferrari driver rejected the comparison at the United States Grand Prix, according to Motorsport.com. The exchange adds a fresh storyline to the build-up in Austin, where the race weekend opens the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 season.
Leclerc Responds to Hadjar’s Singapore Claim
When the claim was put to him, Leclerc did not soften his answer. “Well, first of all, I think it’s nonsense to start saying these kinds of things,” he said. “Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives.”
He then widened his reply to the state of the grid as a whole. “I think it’s such a tight field that it’s very, very difficult for us to predict,” Leclerc added. In essence, Leclerc’s argument was that no driver can know exactly how a rival’s car compares to his own.
What Hadjar Said in Austin
Hadjar made the original comments in the drivers’ press conference in Austin. The Red Bull driver argued that his team did not have the fastest car at the Singapore Grand Prix, and said he believes Verstappen would have won by a bigger margin had he been driving a Ferrari.
At the same time, Hadjar played down suggestions that Red Bull now has the fastest car on the grid. He said the car is “still very hard to drive.”
Hadjar credited Verstappen rather than the machinery. He said the four-time champion made the most of every advantage available to him, took pole position by about half a tenth of a second and made the difference in Q3. He also noted that Ferrari did not have new soft tyres for the race, which he said had an effect on the result.
Hadjar also drew a comparison with Malaysia, where he described Verstappen’s win as dominant. Singapore, he said, was different, and he did not believe the Red Bull was the fastest car there.
Verstappen’s Dominant Singapore Weekend
Verstappen dominated the weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. He started from pole position for both the sprint and the grand prix and won both races, taking the grand prix by 7.3 seconds over Leclerc, who finished second for Ferrari.
In grand prix qualifying, Verstappen set a lap of 1:31.373, the 50th pole position of his career, with Leclerc just 0.054 seconds slower alongside him on the front row. The win followed his victory in Malaysia, meaning he has won the last two races.
Leclerc’s Race: Second but Short of a Win
Leclerc’s second place in Singapore was his first podium finish since round 10 in Belgium. He said he was squeezed at the start and lost out to Verstappen at Turn 1, which left him behind the Red Bull.
Leclerc believes Ferrari’s best chance to challenge Verstappen for victory did not disappear at the start, but in the laps that followed, when the Red Bull driver was struggling with power-unit energy. He also pointed to Ferrari’s tyre fade, which cost him the opportunity to put Verstappen under pressure before a late strategy switch secured second place.
After the race, Leclerc said Ferrari were not fast enough, a different assessment from Hadjar’s view that the Ferrari was the quickest car in Singapore. He was satisfied with the updates Ferrari introduced at Marina Bay, although they were not yet enough to win.
Hadjar’s Difficult Singapore Weekend
While Verstappen collected pole position and victory, Hadjar struggled. The French-Algerian driver was the biggest casualty of the first qualifying session, where drivers struggled under braking, and he was eliminated in Q1, which ended his 100 percent Q3 record.
Hadjar then started the grand prix from the pit lane after taking a penalty for replacing a failed power unit. He recovered to finish tenth, claiming the last point.
Two Drivers, Two Readings of Singapore
The disagreement comes down to how each driver reads the same race. Hadjar points to Verstappen’s skill and to Ferrari’s tyre situation to argue that the Ferrari was the quickest car in Singapore. Leclerc, who was in that car, says Ferrari were not fast enough and highlights tyre fade and the start.
It is also a disagreement between two drivers with very different weekends behind them. Leclerc finished second after a front-row start. Hadjar, who was knocked out in Q1 and started from the pit lane, finished tenth.
What Lies Ahead at the United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix kicks off the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 season, and the paddock has no shortage of talking points. Verstappen has criticised the bumps at the Austin circuit, calling them unacceptable and saying the situation is out of control.
Kimi Antonelli is also preparing for his first opportunity to win the Formula 1 title at the race, saying he is ready to finish the job.
Leclerc has history in Austin: he took pole position there in 2023 but was disqualified after the race, and he won in 2024.
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The comparison between Ferrari’s SF-26 and Red Bull’s RB22 will now be tested again at the Circuit of the Americas, where both teams arrive with the Singapore debate fresh in their minds this weekend.
With the Singapore claim now answered, attention turns to the track. Leclerc has argued that the field is too tight to make confident predictions, and Austin offers the next chance for Ferrari and Red Bull to settle the question on the track rather than in the press room.
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